John Locke

John Locke by 

Sir Godfrey Kneller. Oil on canvas. Britain, 1697.

Source: Wikimedia Commons 

The English liberal philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) was one of the most influential thinkers to have promoted the view that governments should uphold democracy, tolerance and human rights (rather than promulgate patriarchal, aristocratic, and narrowly religious principles). He is the subject of an encyclopedia entry by Dr Peter Hayes in the recently published Encyclopedia of Modern Political Thought (Sage, 2013).