John Locke (1632-1704) Philosopher. In striking similarity to the Ethical Theory developed by Hobbes, Locke wrote, "The natural liberty of man is to be free from any superior power on earth, and not to be under the will or legislative authority of man, but only have the law of nature for his rule." In addition, Locke felt that women had the ability to reason, which entitled them to an equal voice - an unpopular idea during this time in history. Despite fearing that he might be censored, he wrote, "It may not be [wrong] to offer new... [ideas] when the old [traditions] are apt to lead men into mistakes, as this [idea] of [fatherly] power's probably has done, which seems so [eager] to place the power of parents over their children wholly in the father, as if the mother had no share in it; whereas if we consult reason or [the Bible], we shall find she has an equal title." John Locke's writings include: SecondTreatiseOnGovernment, EssayConcerningHumanUnderstanding, LetterConcerningToleration, OfTheConductOfTheUnderstanding, SomeThoughtsConcerningEducation. From the page http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/constitution/locke-bio.html compiled by Bill Uzgalis. PeterHitchmough ---- CategoryAuthor CategoryWorldView CategoryOffTopic CategoryPhilosophy