Locke

John Locke was a man widely considered the Father of Liberalism and one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thinkers. The ramifications of his intellectual contributions to mankind can be seen everywhere – from modern politics, to revolutions around the world, to the social contract theory. Locke was even the first to define the idea of consciousness. He was a champion of religious tolerance, and his works heavily influenced later thinkers such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Hume, and Kant.

Locke wrote to James Blair, the founder and first president of the College, on October 16, 1699, just five years before Locke’s death. The following is one of the things he told the determined Reverend in that letter:

“I hope the College grows and flourishes under your care.“

Indeed this ancient College has flourished under the care of so many – in ways that perhaps even the enlightened Locke could not have ever guessed. I like to think that Locke, who argued so passionately that we are not born with innate ideas and that the brain is a tabula rasa, or blank slate, that we can use education to enlighten, would love to see the good Reverend’s College now.

It is in the memory of John Locke, and James Blair, that we continue to push the boundaries of human tolerance and empathy.

I cannot think of a more noble, or worthwhile, endeavor. Nor could I be more proud to call myself a member of this Tribe.

Brian