Who do you think was the most important and influential Enlightenment thinker? Some might say it’s Montesquieu, Mary Wollstonecraft, or even Voltaire. But there are some people that find John Locke as the most important and influential Enlightenment thinker, and he is. Being a scholar, physician, and also being well-experienced in politics and business already gives him a good appearance for being the most important and influential, even the French philosopher Voltaire called Locke, “the man of the greatest wisdom”. But what makes John Locke the most important and influential Enlightenment thinker? From protecting our three natural rights, limiting and aiming at a balance of power, and creating writings that are important in the rise of liberalism in political philosophy already lets people know just how important he is. Firstly, supporters of this position believe that John Locke helped protect everyone’s three natural rights; life, liberty, and property.
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John Locke believed that all people are born free and equal with their three natural rights, and also believed that each individual has property in his own person. Every man has property in his own person and has mixed his labour with what he owns, and government has no right to take it from him without his consent, and that the purpose of government is to protect those three rights, if a government fails to do so, citizens have a right to overthrow it. And those views were most fully developed in Locke’s famous “Second Treatise Concerning Civil Government”. This explains how John Locke’s actions had a big impact to individuals around the world, even leading to today. Without having him help protect our three natural rights our lives today would have a jurassic difference without him having to do what he believed in and thought what was right. Another reason that this position has strong support is that he limited and aimed at a balance of power. Some of the reasons that this position has a strong support includes that Locke argued that all people were equal and that titles of nobility should be abolished. Locke has also explained the principles of checks and balances to limit government power. Also being in favor of the idea of self-government, criticizing absolute monarchy, believing that people are reasonable and capable of governing themselves, and that the best form of government was a representative democracy . John Locke even stated that even though the government has to protect the people’s natural rights their powers should be limited. This justifies how and why John locke wanted to have equality and balance of power. This also explains how Locke’s statements had a big influence on today’s democracy, because even after his death his ideas became popular in North America and France, and are adopted by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independance, and how Locke’s actions has also greatly influenced the Glorious Revolution. Thirdly, supporters also believe in this position because John Locke’s writings are important in the rise of liberalism in political philosophy. Some of the reasons that supporters believe this include that Locke’s theories had a deep influence on modern political thinking. Also his statement that a government’s power comes from the consent of the people is the foundation of modern democracy. Even Norman Kretzmann; a professor of philosophy at Cornell University holds that Locke’s views had a powerful influence on the Enlightenment view of words and ideas. Also in Locke’s “Second Treatise of Government”, Locke identified the the basis of legitimate government, his ideas inspired Thomas Jefferson as he drafted the Declaration of Independence, Locke helped inspire Thomas Paine’s radical ideas about revolution, and Locke’s writings were part of Benjamin Franklin’s self-education. This explains how important the works of John Locke are and how they greatly influence the democracy today. Because without most of Locke’s theories and ideas it wouldn’t have influenced some of the things that were very important, like; inspiring Thomas Jefferson to draft the Declaration of Independence, or even lead to the Glorious Revolution. He even got John Adams to believe that both boys and girls should be learning about Locke. However, there are a number of people who
John Locke believed that all people are born free and equal with their three natural rights, and also believed that each individual has property in his own person. Every man has property in his own person and has mixed his labour with what he owns, and government has no right to take it from him without his consent, and that the purpose of government is to protect those three rights, if a government fails to do so, citizens have a right to overthrow it. And those views were most fully developed in Locke’s famous “Second Treatise Concerning Civil Government”. This explains how John Locke’s actions had a big impact to individuals around the world, even leading to today. Without having him help protect our three natural rights our lives today would have a jurassic difference without him having to do what he believed in and thought what was right. Another reason that this position has strong support is that he limited and aimed at a balance of power. Some of the reasons that this position has a strong support includes that Locke argued that all people were equal and that titles of nobility should be abolished. Locke has also explained the principles of checks and balances to limit government power. Also being in favor of the idea of self-government, criticizing absolute monarchy, believing that people are reasonable and capable of governing themselves, and that the best form of government was a representative democracy . John Locke even stated that even though the government has to protect the people’s natural rights their powers should be limited. This justifies how and why John locke wanted to have equality and balance of power. This also explains how Locke’s statements had a big influence on today’s democracy, because even after his death his ideas became popular in North America and France, and are adopted by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independance, and how Locke’s actions has also greatly influenced the Glorious Revolution. Thirdly, supporters also believe in this position because John Locke’s writings are important in the rise of liberalism in political philosophy. Some of the reasons that supporters believe this include that Locke’s theories had a deep influence on modern political thinking. Also his statement that a government’s power comes from the consent of the people is the foundation of modern democracy. Even Norman Kretzmann; a professor of philosophy at Cornell University holds that Locke’s views had a powerful influence on the Enlightenment view of words and ideas. Also in Locke’s “Second Treatise of Government”, Locke identified the the basis of legitimate government, his ideas inspired Thomas Jefferson as he drafted the Declaration of Independence, Locke helped inspire Thomas Paine’s radical ideas about revolution, and Locke’s writings were part of Benjamin Franklin’s self-education. This explains how important the works of John Locke are and how they greatly influence the democracy today. Because without most of Locke’s theories and ideas it wouldn’t have influenced some of the things that were very important, like; inspiring Thomas Jefferson to draft the Declaration of Independence, or even lead to the Glorious Revolution. He even got John Adams to believe that both boys and girls should be learning about Locke. However, there are a number of people who