Comparative Theory by Karl Marx and John Locke
Introduction
Two of the most noted and influential modern political thinkers are John Locke and Karl Marx. John Locke was an English philosopher who was famous for his use of empiricism and his social contract theories. After graduating from Christ Church College in Oxford, he worked there as a philosophy lecturer. He also studied medicine and various fields of science. In 1675, John Locke traveled to France, where he met with French scientists and philosophers. He spent four years in France before returning to Oxford. In 1683, he was nearly arrested on charges of radicalism. Locke fled to Holland, and stayed there for several years. While in Holland, Locke wrote his Essay Concerning Human Understanding. When William and Mary took the English throne, Locke returned to England and published his essay there. He also published his Two Treatises on Civil Government, which argued in support of the Glorious Revolution, in which the government of Great Britain was reformed without bloodshed. The writings of John Locke soon became famous in England and throughout Europe. Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding argued that all knowledge the human mind possesses is a result of observations made through the five senses. Locke argued that when a person is first born, his mind is a blank slate, which accumulates knowledge through the senses. Locke argued that science is the method of understanding reality based on observations made through the senses. Although contested by later philosophers, this understanding of the human mind was essential in the development of empiricism, and the scientific method.
Karl Marx was a German political thinker who was famous for his theories regarding class struggle and is well known as the father of communism. These two thinkers had many conflicting ideas and philosophies. One topic that they had divergent views on was whether private property was a natural right or not. Marx argued that capitalism, like previous
Two of the most noted and influential modern political thinkers are John Locke and Karl Marx. John Locke was an English philosopher who was famous for his use of empiricism and his social contract theories. After graduating from Christ Church College in Oxford, he worked there as a philosophy lecturer. He also studied medicine and various fields of science. In 1675, John Locke traveled to France, where he met with French scientists and philosophers. He spent four years in France before returning to Oxford. In 1683, he was nearly arrested on charges of radicalism. Locke fled to Holland, and stayed there for several years. While in Holland, Locke wrote his Essay Concerning Human Understanding. When William and Mary took the English throne, Locke returned to England and published his essay there. He also published his Two Treatises on Civil Government, which argued in support of the Glorious Revolution, in which the government of Great Britain was reformed without bloodshed. The writings of John Locke soon became famous in England and throughout Europe. Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding argued that all knowledge the human mind possesses is a result of observations made through the five senses. Locke argued that when a person is first born, his mind is a blank slate, which accumulates knowledge through the senses. Locke argued that science is the method of understanding reality based on observations made through the senses. Although contested by later philosophers, this understanding of the human mind was essential in the development of empiricism, and the scientific method.
Karl Marx was a German political thinker who was famous for his theories regarding class struggle and is well known as the father of communism. These two thinkers had many conflicting ideas and philosophies. One topic that they had divergent views on was whether private property was a natural right or not. Marx argued that capitalism, like previous