Christian Cyclopedia

(1632–1704). Philos.; b. Wrington, Somersetshire, Eng.; exponent of empirical psychol.; held that all knowledge is acquired by experience through senses and through reflection on sense experience; denied existence of innate ideas, even moral and religious, and believed mind initially to be tabula* rasa (Lat. “blank slate”); held that faith is above, but not contrary to, reason; advocated tolerance in religious matters and unity among Christians; held Godhead as Supreme Being, virgin birth and Messiahship of Jesus, miracles, need of living a Christian life, resurrection; some of his concepts were developed by later adherents of deism.* Works include An Essay Concerning Human Understanding; The Reasonableness of Christianity, as Delivered in the Scriptures; Some Thoughts Concerning Education; Two Treatises of Government; Elements of Natural Philosophy. See also Deism, III 3.

R. I. Aaron, John Locke, 2d ed. (Oxford, 1955); J. Gibson, Locke's Theory of Knowledge and Its Historical Relations (Cambridge, Eng., 1917); S. G. Hefelbower, The Relation of John Locke to English Deism (Chicago, 1918).