John Locke was born on August 29, 1632 in Wrington, England. He was raised by two Puritan parents: Agnes Keen and John Locke SR. His father was a lawyer and had to raise Locke alone after Keen died during childbirth. At the age of 20, Locke studied medicine at Christ Church, Oxford in 1652. In 1668 he joined the Royal Society and worked under the Earl of Shaftsbury. He eventually became a well-known philosopher and political theorist, dying on October 28, 1704. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Locke was called "the father of liberalism" for his beliefs in individual liberty and little government intervention in the lives of citizens. He focused heavily on the study of the importance and capabilities of the human mind. Locke's philosophy of human nature differed from that of many other philosophers. The state of nature refers to the way people naturally existed before governments were created. Thomas Hobbes believed that human beings were born with thoughts of self-interest and were prone to do evil. Therefore, he conveyed the state of nature filled with solidarity, fear, violence and death. Hobbes also asserted that people can only achieve salvation if the government keeps them under control. Jean-Jacques Rousseau totally disagreed with Hobbes' ideas. Rousseau claimed that people were naturally good and innocent in the state of nature. Humans were born with thoughts of compassion and love for their fellow human beings, but have been corrupted by society. Compared to Hobbes and Rousseau, Locke's thoughts on this subject fall somewhere in between. Locke believed that human beings had neither good nor bad thoughts at birth. He said that people came into the world with empty minds and filled with age. Education plays a crucial role in how children become adults. Locke points out that human beings have a capacity for selfish tendencies. However, he disagrees with Hobbes on the appearance of the state of nature. He describes life without government as good and peaceful. Most of the time, people would do good, honor their obligations, and keep their promises. John Locke also had a great influence in the development of the Declaration of Independence. He rejected the idea of ​​people becoming kings and rulers under God's command. Locke held that all people were free and equal by nature. Since humans were created free and equal, everyone had the same natural or individual rights. These natural laws included the rights to life, liberty, and property. This was amended to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” in the Declaration of Independence. People cannot murder, steal, or take away someone else's freedom. They are also not allowed to assign their rights to anyone. Locke states that people must only respond to God's laws. Human beings can do whatever they want if the peace and sustainability of humanity are preserved. To do this, people must put effort into the resources God has provided them. For example, a farmer must use a field to grow food to feed himself and others. This is where Locke's concept of private property comes into play. According to Locke, human beings completely owned their bodies. Therefore, anyone can obtain property by creating a good or material through physical labor. A person who grows food or builds a wooden house would be.