John Locke

John Locke (1632–1704) was an English philosopher, scientist, and political theorist. He was a devout Christian, an Anglican with Puritan leanings. His education, completed at Oxford, included biblical languages as well as science, medicine, and philosophy. His writings ranged from ethics, politics, and education to epistemology and theology.

Locke is best known for his Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690), which presents a systematic exposition of the empiricism that has shaped British philosophy ever since. The essay applies to both our common awareness of the world and the main concepts of Newtonian science—the thesis that all knowledge is derived from the simple ideas that make up our sensory and reflective experience. Even the idea of God arises from these simple ideas, combined with the recognition of God’s infinity. Our moral beliefs are learned from experiencing the pleasures and pains God has established as a moral guide.

Locke’s work The Reasonableness of Christianity (1695), argued that while the Christian revelation adds to what we can discover by reason alone, it does not contradict reason.

Although Locke was an orthodox Christian, his writings emphasized reason to such an extent that many who read and followed him discounted and abandoned revelation. His work is foundational to the development and propagation of the Enlightenment.

Some Characteristics of the Enlightenment.

• An optimistic view of man. Man is, in essence, benevolent; it is religion, ignorance, or other negative forces that make him evil.

• An optimistic view of knowledge. Man, beginning with his unaided reason, can understand and ultimately control everything in the natural world. Therefore, we should distrust and challenge all forms of authority and tradition in matters of intellectual inquiry. Truth can be attained only by reason, observation, and experiment – not by revelation.

• An optimistic view of salvation. Man can save himself by reason and proper behavior. Jesus was not the Triune Son of God but an enlightened moral teacher who gave us fitting precepts to order our life.