Explain the philosophy of john locke and it’s relationship to democracy

John Locke (1632 - 1704) was one of the main philosophers of the Enlightment era, a period when the principles that constitute the base of modern democracies were developed. Such principles challenged feudalism, absolute monarchies, the moral authority exercised by religion and other medieval institutions.

Together with Rousseau, he introduced the principle of the social contract that describes that the power of a state resides on its citizens that have the right to grant it to political representatives elected by suffrage.

He is also considered the father of liberalism and promoted societies based on democracy, secularism, gender and racial equality, internationalism, and civil rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion. He was also one of the first empiricists that promoted the creation of scientific knowledge based on observational experiences. In general, Enlightment was the age of reason in opposition to knowledge biased by religious superstitions and beliefs that were predominant before, during the medieval era.