John Locke (1632­1704) was an English philosopher and the founder 
of empiricism. Empiricism emphasizes the importance of experience in 
the pursuit of knowledge rather than intuitive speculation or deduction. 
Locke wrote Two Treatises of Government  (1690) attacking the 
theory of divine right of kings, arguing sovereignty resided with the 
people. Many of Locke’s political ideas were embodied in the U.S. 
Constitution.