John Locke s Theory Of The Declaration Of Independence

John Locke, an influential English philosopher, has been considered one of the greatest thinkers during the Enlightenment. Well-known for his fundamental role in developing political philosophy, John Locke is widely regarded as â€Å"the Father of Liberalism†. Furthermore, being a pioneer empiricist, his famous theory of the human mind as containing non-innate ideas is often seen as an inspiration for contemporary empiricists. He also contributed to the social contract theory. This theory states that: individuals in a society consent to surrender some of their freedoms in exchange for protection of their other rights. Due to his contributions, many people believe that he influenced a great number of thinkers in history, including Thomas Jefferson, the main author of the Declaration of Independence. In this essay, I will be focusing on John Locke’s liberal theory. Furthermore, I will discuss how his thinking influenced the composition of The Declaration of Independence, a statement by which the thirteen American colonies announced that they were not a part of Great Britain. And I will discuss whether he did carry out his liberal theory or he lived by different standards. During my research, these following observations have been made: First and foremost, liberalism, which was greatly valued by John Locke, is reflected in The Declaration of Independence. As a matter of fact, in The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson quoted John Locke’s work in his own word. ThomasShow MoreRelatedThe Enlightenment Theory Of John Locke1627 Words   |  7 PagesThe Enlightenment theory philosophies of John Locke offered a future that could drastically change government, economic and social ideals. 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