John Locke

Born in 1632 in Somerset, England, he studied at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, before building a career that ranged across philosophy, medicine, politics, and education. He was closely connected to the statesman Anthony Ashley Cooper, later the Earl of Shaftesbury, and periods of political danger led him to spend time in exile in the Netherlands.

He is best known for An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, which explores how people acquire knowledge, and for the Two Treatises of Government, which argues that legitimate government rests on consent and exists to protect life, liberty, and property. He also wrote influential works on religious toleration and education, helping to define key ideas of the Enlightenment.

Although he died in 1704, his influence has lasted for centuries. His ideas became especially important in debates about constitutional government and individual rights, and they continue to make him one of the most widely read political thinkers in the English language.