John Locke (1632-1704) argued in his masterpiece, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding , that our knowledge is founded on experience and reaches us principally through our senses; but its message has been curiously misunderstood. In this book John Dunn shows how Locke arrived at his theory of knowledge, and how his exposition of the liberal values of toleration and responsible government formed the backjbone of enlightened European thought of the eighteenth century. `Lucid and lively...offers rich insight into the triumphs and tragedy of the source of British ideology.' New Society This book is intended for a-level and degree students of philosophy.