Philosopher john locke biography book

"Groundbreaking. . His ideas on limited representative government, the protection of rights, and the rule of law continue to shape modern democracies and are echoed in foundational documents like the United States Declaration of Independence. Drawing on a wealth of primary sources, including Locke's letters and manuscripts, Bourne offers a compelling portrait of a man whose ideas continue to shape our understanding of politics, education, and human nature.

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This comprehensive biography delves into Locke's remarkable journey, from his early years as a student at Oxford to his later role as a prominent thinker in the court of William III. Locke's groundbreaking contributions spanned multiple domains, making him one of history's most influential figures. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

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by Gary Fuller, Robert Stecker, and John P. Wright (Routledge, 2000)

E. Locke’s invention, more than a century after the fact, as the key political theorist of the American Revolution is only the most striking of its findings. The text that early and mid-twentieth-century historians and political theorists such as Merle Curti, Carl Becker and Louis Hartz defined as the core of Lockean philosophy, the Two Treatises of Government, was not unknown to colonists, but it took a decided backseat to the Locke who reinvented the human mind, and when colonists went looking for political principles, Locke also took a backseat to Montesquieu and many others.”

Modern Intellectual History

"Arcenas’s thesis in this book is that John Locke 'stands—and has always stood—at the center of American intellectual life' (p.1), and that, paradoxically, his true significance to America has often been mischaracterized.

But as readers will discover in her meticulously researched and absorbing study, Locke has mattered to Americans in ways wholly unexpected.”

Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen, University of Wisconsin–Madison

“America’s Philosopher accomplishes two tasks at once: it brings to life the fullness of John Locke’s thought and tracks the multiple ways a dynamic and changing America engaged with varying aspects of that thought.

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