Seminar Paper on John Locke

Bertrand Russell -  History of Western Philosophy (Chapters 10-17)

During my reading of the chapters I was able to pick up on key areas of discussion which I will highlight during my reading of the seminar paper. These will be based around chapters 13 and 14 of the book which explain John Locke’s theories in the 17^th century. Hopefully discussing these chapters in depth will produce a debate about whether John Locke’s theory of knowledge and his political philosophies can still be relevant in today’s society or whether his theories are outdated and irrelevant.

Chapter 14 of Russell’s book focuses on Locke’s ‘Two Treatises of Government’ written in 1689 after the Revolution in England. Locke can be seen as a key figure during the revolution following the English Civil War as his theories changed the way in which governments were organised, finally giving power to the people. His ‘First Treatise’ outlined how divine right was no longer needed by Kings and rulers as they should be appointed by the people of a country. This came from an idea that God gave Adam the right to rule on behalf of the people, therefore God gave the people the right to choose their leader. In addition, Locke presented the idea that every human being in society had three fundamental rights, life, liberty and property and it was the role of the government to ensure that this was the case for people in England in the 17^th Century.

Locke’s ‘Second Treatise’ was based around the idea of a state of nature where everybody had the right to freedom and equality but subconsciously obeyed what he described as ‘natural laws’. These natural laws were centred on morality where everyone has knowledge of right and wrong. For example, murder is wrong and immoral but helping an elderly person across the road is viewed as being kind and moral. Locke also presented the idea that when a human is born they are like a blank canvas and as we progress through our lives we learn knowledge through our five senses. Chapter 13 explains this theory and the quotation “ Knowledge is the perception of agreement or disagreement of two ideas” is important as it shows how as human beings, we learn from the people around us such as our parents or teachers and we learn from our own mistakes in life which enables us to try and become better people.

Locke’s theories are relevant in today’s society for a number of reasons. One of these reasons is that governments in England are controlled by the people who vote for their chosen leader through democratic elections. Whichever candidate wins the highest number of seats is named as the Prime Minister of the country for four years until another election is held. A second reason is that children today are still raised by their parents teaching them what is right and wrong from a very early age so by the time they reach adulthood they are fully aware of how they should behave.