Why John Locke is the greatest philosopher of all timeJohn Locke was a British philosopher and physician who lived from August 29, 1632 to October 28, 1704. He is one of the most notable of the Enlightenment thinkers, who explained many of the ideas that affect human life in today's society. He is widely known as the father of classical liberalism, due to his emphasis on the freedom of people by limiting the authority of government (Jenkins and John (18). He is also considered one of the Britain's first imperialists due to his pioneering work on the theory of imperialism, an epistemological theory which asserts that knowledge comes only from sensory experience. It is equally important in the study of contract theory. social, which addresses the questions of the origin of society and the legitimacy of the authority of the State over the individual It addresses the aspect of natural and legal rights (Jenkins and John 41). Locke had an immense influence on the development of epistemology and political philosophy. His writings had an enormous influence on Enlightenment writers, historians and philosophers like Voltaire and Rousseau, Scottish Enlightenment thinkers and revolutionaries. Americans. Locke's work on classical republicanism and liberal theory constitutes the United States Declaration of Independence. 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, that people are born without inanimate ideas, and that the only determinant of knowledge is experience derived from sense perception. Modern perceptions of identity and self are greatly influenced by the works of Locke (Jenkins and John 63). The liberal and anti...... middle of paper ...... remains to itself as long as consciousness expands. Locke includes the body in the self and describes the self as self-conscious, reflective, and fixed in the body. Locke opposed the Augustinian view that man is originally sinful and the Cartesian who held that man innately knows logical propositions. According to Locke, the human mind is empty at birth and shaped by experience, with sensation and reflection being the two sources of all ideas. Locke views education as the determinant of self, people are good or bad, useful or not because of education. Locke also explained that the ideas we make when we are young are the most important, because they are the foundations of ourselves and we grow with them. It is from this reasoning that Locke derives the theory of associationism, which greatly influenced the theory of education and the development of psychology (Locke 7).