How John Locke Inspired Maria Montessori
JOHN LOCKE
"Every man has a property in his own person. This nobody has a right to, but himself."
– John Locke
Childhood
John Locke was born on August 29, 1632, in Wrington, a village in the English country of Somerset. He was baptized the same day. Soon after his birth, the family moved to the market town of Pensford, about seven miles south of Bristol, where Locke grew up in an old fashioned stone farmhouse .
His father was a county lawyer to the Justices of the Peace and his mother was a simple tanners daughter. Both his parents were Puritans and as such, Locke was raised that way. His early life was spent at home in the country, where he was taught by his father; this explains why he favored the tutorial form of education.
Early Adulthood
In 1647, John Locke enrolled in Westminster School in London where he earned the distinct honor of being named a “King's Scholar”, a privilege that went to only select number of boys and paved the way for Locke to attend Christ Church University, in Oxford, perhaps Oxford's most prestigious school . He studied medicine, which played a central role in his life. After graduating in 1656, he returned to Christ Church two years later and received his Master of Arts. He graduated with a bachelor's of medicine in 1674.
Educational Theory
In order to fully understand Locke, it is necessary to realize that his aims and methods were largely determined by the place and time in which he lived, and by the schools in which he attended. John Locke's theories center around the case that the human mind, at birth is a "Complete, but receptive, blank slate.” It is the experiences placed upon this blank slate throughout life that determine a child's characteristics and behaviors. Locke rebelled against the traditional theories of original sin and did not agree that children were born into the world as evil beings but instead believed that things could only be added to a child's blank slate through experience.
"Every man has a property in his own person. This nobody has a right to, but himself."
– John Locke
Childhood
John Locke was born on August 29, 1632, in Wrington, a village in the English country of Somerset. He was baptized the same day. Soon after his birth, the family moved to the market town of Pensford, about seven miles south of Bristol, where Locke grew up in an old fashioned stone farmhouse .
His father was a county lawyer to the Justices of the Peace and his mother was a simple tanners daughter. Both his parents were Puritans and as such, Locke was raised that way. His early life was spent at home in the country, where he was taught by his father; this explains why he favored the tutorial form of education.
Early Adulthood
In 1647, John Locke enrolled in Westminster School in London where he earned the distinct honor of being named a “King's Scholar”, a privilege that went to only select number of boys and paved the way for Locke to attend Christ Church University, in Oxford, perhaps Oxford's most prestigious school . He studied medicine, which played a central role in his life. After graduating in 1656, he returned to Christ Church two years later and received his Master of Arts. He graduated with a bachelor's of medicine in 1674.
Educational Theory
In order to fully understand Locke, it is necessary to realize that his aims and methods were largely determined by the place and time in which he lived, and by the schools in which he attended. John Locke's theories center around the case that the human mind, at birth is a "Complete, but receptive, blank slate.” It is the experiences placed upon this blank slate throughout life that determine a child's characteristics and behaviors. Locke rebelled against the traditional theories of original sin and did not agree that children were born into the world as evil beings but instead believed that things could only be added to a child's blank slate through experience.
References: 1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Plato.standford.edu/entries/locke) 2. “John Locke,” The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ISSN 2161-0002, http://www.iep.utm.edu/locke/, accessed December 27, 2012. 3. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke/ 4. http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/en/locke.htm 5. http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/philosophers/locke.html