523John Locke was born in Wrington, Somerset, the son of a Puritan lawyer. His
father fought on the side of the Parliament against Charles I, and Locke himself
was a lifelong defender of the parliamentary system.
As a teenager, Locke attended Westminster School, studying classics under the
harsh discipline of the time. He later condemned the English educational system
for its brutality and one-sided emphasis on the past. In 1652, he entered Christ
Church, Oxford, where he received his B.A. in 1656 and an M.A. in 1658. Again,
he found his Oxford education obsessed with the past—in particular the
Scholasticism of the late Middle Ages. Hence, he sought knowledge in the emerg-
ing sciences. In 1659, he was named a Senior Student at Oxford—a position he
held until he lost it for political reasons in 1684.
In 1662, Locke met Lord Ashley, the Earl of Shaftesbury. Locke and Shaftesbury
became close friends and in 1667 Locke went to live with Shaftesbury as his per-
sonal physician, securing his medical degree and license in 1674. Locke also helped
Shaftesbury with several projects, including writing a constitution for the colony of
Carolina. As a member of Shaftesbury’s entourage, Locke traveled extensively and
met many of the leading thinkers of his day.
When Shaftesbury became the leader of the parliamentary opposition to the
king, Locke’s friendship became a liability. Shaftesbury was tried for treason in
1681; although he was acquitted, he fled to Holland where he died in 1683.
Without the backing of his powerful patron, Locke also fled to Holland, where he
became an advisor to William and Mary of Orange. Following the Glorious
Revolution of 1688, which removed Locke’s enemy, James II, from the throne,
Locke returned home in the company of William and Mary—now king and queen
of England.JOHN LOCKE
1632–1704