Abstract

Locke's philosophy laid the foundations of empiricism - the belief that all our knowledge is based upon experience. He also introduced the idea of liberal democracy, and his ideas were to be a major influence on the first US constitution. He was the only major philosopher to become a government minister. These witty and informative guides cover the lives and ideas of the major philosophers. Award-winning author Paul Strathern's concise and easily comprehensible style highlights the major advances in philosophy, as well as the men who conceived them and the times in which they lived. Packed with striking quotes, insights and anecdotes, the aim of the Virgin Philosophers Series is to clarify the mysteries of philosophy for the general reader.