John Locke (1632-1704) was an English philosopher responsible for laying the foundation of the European Enlightenment. Locke believed that each branch of government should have separate powers, that liberty must be protected from state interference, and that the state must protect the private property of its citizens. These ideas greatly influenced the Founding Fathers of the United States. Locke also proposed a new theory of knowledge acquisition based entirely on experience and reflection.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original content at https://www.worldhistory.org/John_Locke/.