John Locke was born in 1632 in England. His father was a country lawyer and his mother was a Puritan. Locke attended the prestigious Westminster School in London, along with such luminaries as Christopher Wren and Robert Boyle. After graduating from Oxford University, Locke became a physician and practiced medicine for several years before retiring to focus on writing.
His major work, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, was published in 1689. Locke’s philosophy is rooted in empiricism, the idea that we gain knowledge of the world and ourselves through our senses rather than innate ideas or divine intervention. He believed that the human mind is a “tabula rasa,” or blank slate, at birth and that all of our knowledge comes from sensory experience. For example, Locke did not believe that humans are born with an innate idea of God but instead develop an understanding of God through sensory experiences as they mature. He also believed that most people cannot form accurate beliefs about anything because they do not have the necessary information to do so; instead, they rely on faith—a belief without evidence—to guide their lives and make decisions.
