What ideas does john Locke believe in?

Answer 1

One of his principle ideas was the contemporary theory of mind, which is cited as being the origin of concepts of identity and the self, and influenced later philosophers such as Rousseau, and Immanuel Kant. It was to lead to the foundations of the philosophical concept of empiricism. Contrary to previous Cartesian philosophy, which was based upon pre-existing concepts, Locke postulated that at birth our minds are in a blank state, or 'tabula rasa'. Contrary to Cartesian ideas on this subject, he maintained that our knowledge is derived only from experience derived from self-perception. His political beliefs were liberal, but not Socialist- he was in favour of separating Church from State, and believed that human nature is characterised by reason and tolerance, but that it also allowed people to be selfish. He believed that all people had a right to equality, liberty, happiness and independence, and that in order to defend these ri9ghts revolution was not sometimes only essential but an obligation, although he favoured social and political change by non-violent means and established a Civil Society, to effect social and political change as an intermediary between the people and the State. His beliefs parted from Socialism in that he believed that ownership of private goods was justified by the labour required to produce them, and that property precedes Government which 'cannot dispose of the estates of the subjects arbitrarily'. He was also an investor in the slave-trade via the Royal African Company, and supported the displacement of native American Indians from their ancestral lands, which has led to him being charged with hypocrisy and double-standards. He believed in religious tolerance, being influenced by Baptist theologians such as John Smyth and Thomas Helwys, arguing that it was impossible to prove the superiority of one religion over another, and that attempts to impose religious uniformity can only inevitably lead to violence. His religious beliefs are largely accepted today as revolving around Socinian Christology, although research into his works carried out in the past 30 years suggest towards the end of his life he was inclining more towards Arian Christianity. Voltaire, Jean-Jaques Rousseau, and also the 3rd US President Thomas Jefferson, were amongst his greatest admirers, but he drew criticism from Descartes, parted company from Thomas Hobbes over a number of issues, and was criticised for his philosophies of apparent support for Capitalism by Karl Marx. His principle contributions to philosophy have centred around the human concept of the self and it's relationship to religion- for more details on Locke's ideas, the Wikipedia page about him is to be recommended.