John Locke’s Timeless Guide to Good Parenting

Here’s some parenting advice from the seventeenth century

Portrait of John Locke by Godfrey Kneller, 1704 (Wikimedia Commons — image resized by author)

John Locke was a seventeenth-century philosopher from England. Often referred to as ‘the Father of Liberalism’, he remains one of the most influential thinkers of all time.

Whilst Locke had plenty to say about the world of politics, he also offered advice on the everyday aspects of our lives. In Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693), he covers a variety of topics, including the best way to raise children.

Avoid physical punishments and pleasurable rewards

Locke acknowledges the problem with inflicting harsh, physical punishments upon children. When pain is the only barrier to pleasure, the child will indulge themselves when the threat is removed.

‘… great severity of punishment does but very little good, nay great harm in education … those children who have been most chastised, seldom make the best men.’ — Some Thoughts Concerning Education, Locke

Yet, rewarding children with pleasure can also be damaging — spoilt children are anything but virtuous. Again, Locke argues that…