John Locke

About the author

John Locke (1632–1704), English philosopher and physician born in Wrington, is widely regarded as one of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers and the "father of liberalism." His landmark works — A Letter Concerning Toleration, Two Treatises of Government, and An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, all published around 1689–90 — shaped foundational ideas about religious freedom, the separation of church and state, and government by consent. The Two Treatises are believed to have influenced Thomas Jefferson's drafting of the Declaration of Independence.

A Fellow of the Royal Society, Locke studied and taught at Oxford before becoming an associate of Lord Shaftesbury.