John Locke was a 17th-century English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. He produced works of great intellectual and practical importance. Locke's theory of mind is often cited as the origin of modern conceptions of identity and the sRead more
John Locke was a 17th-century English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. He produced works of great intellectual and practical importance. Locke’s theory of mind is often cited as the origin of modern conceptions of identity and the self, figuring prominently in the work of later philosophers such as David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
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Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 [O.S. January 6, 1705] – April 17, 1790) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A renowned polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diRead more
Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 [O.S. January 6, 1705] – April 17, 1790) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A renowned polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat.
As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. He invented the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, a carriage odometer, and the glass ‘armonica’. He formed both the first public lending library in America and first fire department in Pennsylvania. He was an early proponent of colonial
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