John Locke (1632 – 1704) was an English philosopher whose works greatly affected the development of epistemology and political philosophy. As an empiricist, Locke rejects rationalistic claim that we have innate ideas of God, and, consequently, he defends that we have no innate knowledge. In particular, all of our simple and complex ideas are gained through sensation ( five senses) and reflection (our mind's own operations of thinking). Locke is also famous for arguing that sovereignty resides in the people and that we should separate Church and State. Opposing authoritarianism, he wanted us to rely on natural rights (life, liberty, estate) to search after truth rather than simply accept the opinion of authorities.
