1689Reputable sourceWell documented
John Locke: Empiricism and Natural Rights
On the timeline · around 1689 ·
What happened
The English philosopher John Locke argued that the mind begins as a blank slate, filled only by experience — the foundation of empiricism. In his Two Treatises of Government he held that all people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property, and that governments derive their authority from the consent of the governed.
Why it matters
Locke's ideas of natural rights and government by consent became the intellectual bedrock of liberal democracy, echoing directly in the American Declaration of Independence and constitutions around the world.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. John Locke · Reputable source
Related timelines
- The American Revolution → — Locke's natural rights shaped the American Revolution