John Locke was a 17th-century English philosopher whose ideas were a major influence on the Enlightenment.

His most important political work is 'Two Treatises of Government.'

Locke argued against the divine right of kings and believed that government should be based on the consent of the governed.

He famously proposed that all individuals are born with 'natural rights,' which he defined as the rights to life, liberty, and property.

According to Locke, the primary purpose of government is to protect these natural rights.

He described a 'social contract' where people agree to give up some of their freedom to a government in exchange for the protection of their rights.

Crucially, Locke argued that if a government violates the social contract and becomes a tyranny, the people have the right to overthrow it.

In his 'Essay Concerning Human Understanding,' he proposed that the human mind at birth is a 'tabula rasa,' or blank slate.

This idea suggests that knowledge and character are derived from experience, not innate ideas.

Locke's philosophy had a direct and profound impact on the American Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.