POS 210 Chapter Notes -Limited Government, Init, Lockean Proviso
Document Summary
The foundations of liberalism are not laid by hobbes. Hobbes at best was a precursor of liberalism or a proto liberal. That mea ns that within his philosophy are elem e n t s of liberalism, but becaus e there are also anti liberal elem e n t s in it, he cannot be consider e d the father of liberal ideology. That distinction belongs to anoth er british philosoph er, john locke. His father fought in the royalist army in support of the king, charles i, during the british civil war. Thus he had mad e many influential friends, one of whom got john locke into westminst er school. From there he went to christ church, oxford, where he was a studen t and a teach er. At oxford he studied medicine and science (and kept the lifelong practice of consulting his friends on their various ailments).