Why John Locke is the greatest philosopher of all time John Locke was a British philosopher and physician who lived from 29 August 1632 to 28 October 1704. He is one of the most important philosophers of the Enlightenment thinkers, who explained many of the ideas that influence human life in today's society. He is widely known as the father of classical liberalism, due to his emphasis on the freedom of the people, limiting the authority of government Jenkins and John (18). He is also considered one of the first imperialists in Britain because of his pioneering work on the theory of imperialism, an epistemological theory which states that knowledge comes only from sensory experience. It is equally important when studying social contract theory, which addresses questions related to the origin of society and the legitimacy of the state's authority over the individual. It addresses the aspect of natural and legal rights (Jenkins and John 41). Locke's works had an enormous influence on the development of epistemology and political philosophy. His writings had an enormous influence on Enlightenment writers, historians and philosophers such as Voltaire and Rousseau, Scottish Enlightenment thinkers and American revolutionaries. Locke's works on classical republicanism and liberal theory constitute the Declaration of Independence of the United States. Locke influenced Hume, Rousseau, and Kant with his theory of mind, where he defined the self through the continuity of consciousness. By argues that, at birth, the mind is empty, people are born without inanimate ideas, and that the only determinant of knowledge is experience derived from sensory perception. Modern perceptions about identity and the self are heavily influenced by the works of Locke (Jenkins and John 63). Locke's liberal, anti...... middle of paper ...... thought extends to itself as long as consciousness extends. Locke includes the body in the self and describes the self as self-aware, reflective, and fixed in the body. Locke opposes the Augustinian vision of man as originally sinful and the Cartesian one which maintained that man innately knows logical propositions. According to Locke, the human mind is empty at birth and is shaped by experience, sensation and reflection being the two sources of all ideas. Locke sees education as determining the self, people are good or bad, useful or not because of education. Locke also explained that the ideas you form when you are young are the most important, because they are the foundation of you and you grow with them. It is from this reasoning that Locke derived the theory of associationism, which strongly influenced the theory of education and the development of psychology (Locke 7).