What Do You Know About John Locke And Montesquieu?

John Locke: (1632-1704 A.C) He learned medicine, natural science and philosophy at Oxford, but did not like the scholastic methods of teaching which are the time governed the university. He studied Descartes deeply. He is famous for his "Essay on Knowledge",or human understanding. He developed the thesis that the question of truth arises only about the relation of some human notions with others.

There are only two sources of these notions or ideas—Sensation and Reflection. These two exhaust all human knowledge. Words which do not correspond to either are mere fantasies. There are four kinds of ideas in order of sensations, simple, composite, abstract and complex. These ideas give us conceptions of three kinds of reality: Substances which are things that exist by themselves. Modes are qualities, which are considered as appertaining to substances, e.g. color. Relations are connection of one substance to another.

Knowledge thus, cannot attain the status of certainties and at the most, it can reach probabilities. Certainty is reserved for revealed knowledge Locke believed in God, souls and spirits.

Montesquieu: (1685-1755 A.C) A Frenchman who was highly impressed by English political institutions. His book "spirit of Law" published in 1748, propounded his famous theory of "division" of functions. According to this theory the legislative, judicial power of the state must be exercised by different organs, so that a balanced society may not be tyrannized by any.

Add Comment

View Comments [1]

Report