| − | '''John Locke''' (1632-1704) was a leading political [[philosopher]] during the [[Enlightenment]], and a major contributor to [[liberal]] philosophy. His theories of the rights of man, including property, were adopted by the [[American]] founding fathers (the phrase "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is almost directly taken from Locke [his original words were "life, liberty, and property"] ). Locke described society as a contract between individuals called the "social contract", and held that the formation of collectives by individuals was the only way to ensure economic prosperity (see his ''Second Treatise on Government''). | + | '''John Locke''' (1632-1704) was a leading political [[philosopher]] during the [[Enlightenment]], and a major contributor to [[liberal]] philosophy. His theories of the rights of man, including property, were adopted by the [[American]] founding fathers (the phrase "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is almost directly taken from Locke [his original words were "life, liberty, and estate"] ). Locke described society as a contract between individuals called the "social contract", and held that the formation of collectives by individuals was the only way to ensure economic prosperity (see his ''Second Treatise on Government''). |
| | Locke's view helped lay the foundation for the constitutional government that we use in the United States. Locke had built on the prior work of fellow Englishmen [[Francis Bacon]] and [[Thomas Hobbes]]. | | Locke's view helped lay the foundation for the constitutional government that we use in the United States. Locke had built on the prior work of fellow Englishmen [[Francis Bacon]] and [[Thomas Hobbes]]. |