An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

Locke was born in Wrington, England, in 1632. The son of a lawyer, Locke followed in his father’s intellectual footsteps. The physician and philosopher played a significant role in the Enlightenment movement and laid the foundation for classical liberalism. Locke’s focus on the philosophy of the mind and knowledge had a profound influence on future philosophers and political theorists. He focused his attention on liberty, natural rights, the social contract, religious tolerance, and the right of revolution, contributing to the theories of empiricism and epistemology. His political writing continues to impact contemporary politics. The scientific community embraced Locke’s focus on empirical observation, and his theories on religious epistemology and religious freedom reflected the rationalistic approach of the Enlightenment. In short, Locke believed that what humans experience through the senses and through observation forms knowledge. Although Locke was Protestant, his views diverged from the fundamentalist principles popular during his lifetime. He advocated for religious freedom but also saw atheism as the exception to this liberty.

Locke attended the Westminster School in London in 1647 and Christ Church in Oxford in 1652. After obtaining a medical degree, he worked as a physician, which shaped his thinking about the mind and the acquisition of knowledge. As the Secretary of the Board of Trade and Plantations and Secretary to the Lords Proprietors of Carolina, Locke developed his political identity and theories about foreign affairs. Although a member of the Whig party, Locke’s ideas were radical for the period; for example, he emphasized the importance of natural rights—an idea that was novel in the 17th century. Locke’s extreme views within the context of his time caused others to be wary. To escape misplaced suspicion, Locke fled to The Netherlands in 1683. During this time, he penned An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. In this work, Locke adhered to the tabula rasa theory, which suggests that the mind is a blank slate at birth and that sensory experience shapes the mind.

In 1688, the philosopher returned to England, where King William and Queen Mary exercised a more liberal regime, and he soon published multiple works. Although his political treatises were not widely read while he was alive, Locke was a major figure in the political world. After his death, increasing tensions between the US and Britain, which led to the American Revolution, propelled Locke’s posthumous reputation. His emphasis on separating Church and State—and his discussions on liberty—established him as a catalyst for liberalism. However, his theoretical work knowledge had an even wider impact. Voltaire and Rousseau, as well as Scottish Enlightenment and American Revolutionist thinkers, all cite Locke as an influence.

Locke defined the self as an extension of consciousness and challenged prevailing ideas about knowledge. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding attempts to determine how humans think and perceive. Locke proposes that all human understanding is born from experience. His views differed from the perspectives of major philosophers that preceded him. Rejecting the concept of innate knowledge, Locke pointed to sensory experience as the foundation of understanding.