"We should have a great fewer disputes in the world if words were taken
for what they are, the signs of our ideas only, and not for things themselves."
- John Locke
English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) is considered the first British
empiricist. Empiricism posits that knowledge can only arise from experience,
especially by means of observation and sometimes by experimentation. He was also very influential in the area of social contract theory which describes a broad
class of theories that attempts to explain how people form groups and maintain
social order.
His thinking influenced many later philosophers including David Hume,
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire), and
the American revolutionaries.
Also by John Locke: "What worries you, masters you."
This quote & biography originally ran in an issue of BookBrowse's membership magazine. Full Membership Features & Benefits.
The Fairbanks Four
by Brian Patrick O’Donoghue
One murder, four guilty convictions, and a community determined to find justice.
One Death at a Time
by Abbi Waxman
A cranky ex-actress and her Gen Z sobriety sponsor team up to solve a murder that could send her back to prison in this dazzling mystery.
The Seven O'Clock Club
by Amelia Ireland
Four strangers join an experimental treatment to heal broken hearts in Amelia Ireland's heartfelt debut novel.
Happy Land
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
From the New York Times bestselling author, a novel about a family's secret ties to a vanished American Kingdom.
Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
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