John Locke and "The Enlightenment"

John Locke was born in the year 1632 and died in the year 1704, an English philosopher. Locke's services to his country and to the cause of civil and religious liberty, his famous because of the Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. His purpose was to inquire into the powers of the human understanding, In his views on government Locke was a disciple of Hobbes, but he was not slavish in his discipleship. He believed with Hobbes that government is the result of an original contract, but the state of nature preceding the establishment of government he did not believe to be a state of war. Society is a meaning of better enjoyment of natural rights. When the people enforce their will against the government, there is no rebellion. They are acting within their rights. In ethics he was a hedonist. Good and bad are still equal to pleasure and pain or their causes. It's good because they told them there punishment with pain for disobedience if they really deserved it. The law-imposing authority may be divine or human.