Meet John Locke
He lived in England from 1632 to 1704.- He almost became a minister in the church, and then almost became a doctor, but he ended up joining the government.
- His philosophy talks about what humans are like, and about choosing leaders and giving people power.
- He said that every person should be allowed to feel safe and to protect their house, their family, their belongings and themselves. Our leaders should help us to do this.
- His ideas about government were used by countries like Canada and the United States, when they were trying to decide how to run things.
- He also loved to talk about knowledge and where it comes from.
- He believed that human beings know almost nothing when they are born. A baby is like a "Tabula Rassa" or a blank piece of paper.
- As we get older and we try new things, we get our knowledge by looking, smelling, touching, tasting and hearing.
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