Locke

Of all the enlightenment philosophers, John Locke seems to be the most practical. His view of the world seems to most fit the way that things actually are. His metaphor for the infant mind being the empty chest of drawers just seems more logical than Descartes for instance who believed that people are born knowing certain truths. Simply observing the way that babies view the world should have clued Descartes as to the falseness of his theories. To an infant everything seems new and strange. Over time they start to understand the ways of the world. Descartes was not the only one who disagreed with Locke's philosophies. The Catholic church also believes that babies are born containing the original sin, which is why they are baptized so early in life. During the early stages of Christianity in the Roman empire it was common practice to be baptized shortly before death to absolve the person of their earlier sins. This seems to be very much in keeping with Locke's beliefs because it would seem to be saying that humans are corrupted over time rather than being sinners at birth. Overall, Locke's philosophy seems to be in keeping with basic logic, while other philosophers of the time seemed a bit abstract.