ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides a short life of John Locke, and a review of the seventeenth century in England, with particular reference to the thirty years after the Restoration of the Monarchy – the most important period in Locke’s life. It examines Locke’s philosophy, with special reference to his ideas about education, and a brief sketch of educational thought and practice in England during the century before him, and analyses Locke’s Thoughts on Education. Although Locke had little to say about education that was new, and little practical experience of teaching, his book nevertheless has undeniable importance. Of John Locke it is especially true that he must be studied in his historical context; for he lived through a very stormy period of history, and was himself constantly involved in public affairs.
