Small format, serious subject matter. This portrait magnet brings one of history's most influential political philosophers into your everyday spaces — a daily reminder that the people who shaped civilization are worth remembering.
This Locke magnet features a bold, graphic portrait, part of the Architects of Reason collection. A distinctive gift for philosophy lovers, political science students, and educators. Available in three sizes.
ABOUT JOHN LOCKE (1632–1704)
Locke was trained as a physician, worked as a political advisor, spent years in exile for his associations with opponents of the Crown, and wrote philosophy that helped end the divine right of kings. His Two Treatises of Government, published anonymously in 1689, argued that political authority derives not from God but from the consent of the governed - and that when a government fails to protect the natural rights of its citizens, those citizens have the right to replace it.
The influence on the American and French Revolutions was direct and explicit. Jefferson's "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is a close paraphrase of Locke's "life, liberty, and property." The entire structure of liberal democracy - the idea that individuals possess rights that governments must respect - rests on foundations Locke articulated with unprecedented clarity.
His Essay Concerning Human Understanding, published the same year, was equally consequential for philosophy. He argued that the mind at birth is a blank slate - a tabula rasa - and that all knowledge is built from sensory experience. It was a direct challenge to the rationalist tradition that claimed certain truths were innate, and it laid the groundwork for empiricism as the dominant philosophical approach to knowledge for the next two centuries.
He died in 1704, having fundamentally reshaped how the West understands both politics and the human mind. The world he imagined is largely the one we inhabit.
PRODUCT FEATURES
- Available in three sizes: 3×3, 4×4, and 5×5 inches
- Matte finish for a sophisticated, glare-free surface
- Laminated surface for durability and color vibrancy
- White vinyl with strong magnetic backing
- Indoor use recommended