The English philosopher and physician John Locke was an immensely important and influential figure during the period of the Enlightenment. Perhaps his most important and revolutionary work was An Essay Concerning Human Understanding; written in 4 separate books; each relating to a section of his explanation. Its purpose was to “investigate the origin, certainty, and existence of human knowledge, together with the foundations and degrees of belief, opinion, and consensus.” However, John Locke influenced more than just the philosophy of human understanding; it has also greatly influenced how we think about government and religious tolerance. He influenced others during the Enlightenment with his other works such as: the Two Treatises of Government, the Letters on Tolerance, The Reasonableness of Christianity, and Some Thoughts on Education. His works contained a variety of ideas, many of which have influenced us today. John Locke was considered the first British empiricist. Empiricism is defined by Google Dictionary as “The theory that all knowledge is derived from sensory experience.” You see; in John Locke's second book An Essay Concerning Human Understanding explains how we as human beings acquire the materials of our knowledge. Locke believed that we are born with a clean slate or “blank slate.” This means that we are born without ideas or thoughts until they are created through experience and sensation. These thoughts must be the foundation for the complex ideas and knowledge that will later be built. Although Locke believes that we are all born with “blank slates,” he states that we are all born with different ways of putting simple ideas together. One way was to combine ideas into one complex idea. As in an idea of ​​substance... middle of the paper... ect of John Locke was that he was a pioneer in ideas that would allow others to build on the foundation. It affected not just one thing but three things. He did not stop contributing to society, even after doing more than necessary. In conclusion I would like to say that John Locke was one of the most important and influential people of the Enlightenment period. And who would later be an important figure for our founding fathers as they drafted our Constitution and Bill of Rights. John Locke was a pioneer of ideas and philosophy allowing thinkers after him to build on his ideas. He contributed many things and today we see his influences. As a man of great thought and ideology, John Locke will forever remain in our history books as an inspirer of our government, an advocate of religious tolerance, and a thinker of human understanding..