Skip to main content

Primary sourceBook1693

Some Thoughts Concerning Education

John Locke · 1693

Locke's 1693 treatise on raising and educating children, grown out of letters he wrote advising a friend on his son's upbringing.

Locke's own treatise applying his philosophy of mind to the practical education of children.

Ask John Locke about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Title page of 'Some Thoughts Concerning Education' in black and white. Text reads SOME THOUGHTS CONCERNING Education, with an ornament in the middle and imprint: LONDON, Printed for A. and J. Churchill, at the Black Swan in Paternoster-row, 1693.
John Locke, Some Thoughts Concerning Education, 1693.

About this source

What it is

Some Thoughts Concerning Education is a treatise on educating gentlemen, written by John Locke and published in 1693. It grew out of letters Locke wrote in 1684 advising his friends Edward and Mary Clarke on raising their son, and was published anonymously at the urging of the Clarkes and another friend, William Molyneux.

Why it matters

The book applies Locke's theory from his Essay Concerning Human Understanding that the mind begins as a blank slate, arguing that education—not innate nature—makes the person. It became the most important work on education in England for over a century and was translated widely across Europe, influencing later writers including Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

Look closer

  • Why might Locke have chosen to publish this book anonymously at first?
  • How does the idea of the mind as a 'blank slate' connect to Locke's advice about raising children?
  • Who was this education designed for, and who might it have left out?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of John Locke on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More John Locke sources

Meet the AI John Locke →
Title page of the 1690 London edition of Two Treatises of Government, printed in black letter and roman type in a bordered frame, reading 'Two Treatises of Government... an Essay concerning the True Original, Extent, and End of Civil Government', printed for Awnsham Churchill at the Black Swan in Ave-Mary-Lane, by Amen-Corner, 1690.Book

Primary source

Two Treatises of Government

John Locke · 1689 (dated 1690)

Title page of the 1690 first edition of An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. Large capitals read 'AN ESSAY CONCERNING Humane Understanding. In Four Books.' A Latin epigraph from Cicero follows, then a printer's ornament and the imprint 'LONDON: Printed for Tho. Basset, and sold by Edw. Mory at the Sign of the Three Bibles in St. Paul's Church-Yard. MDCXC.'Book

Primary source

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

John Locke · 1689 (dated 1690)

Sepia-toned mezzotint portrait of a man with long wavy hair, wearing a loose coat and open collar, turning slightly to his left within an oval frame of foliage. A cartouche at the bottom reads 'John Locke Esq.' with inscriptions in the lower corners.Painting

Secondary source

John Locke, Mezzotint after Godfrey Kneller

Godfrey Kneller

Title page of A Letter Concerning Toleration. Large capitals read 'A LETTER', then 'CONCERNING', then 'Toleration: Humbly Submitted, &c.' Below: 'LICENSED, October 3, 1689', then 'LONDON, Printed for Awnsham Churchill, at the Black Swan at Amen-Corner. 1689.' Faint reprint copyright text in background.Letter

Primary source

A Letter Concerning Toleration

John Locke · written 1685-1686, published 1689

Engraved oval portrait of a man with long wavy hair, wearing a loose dark gown over a white collared shirt, set in an ornate oval frame atop a pedestal bearing a coat of arms. Inscription below reads 'Effigies Iohannis Locke' with a Latin line beneath, plus artist credits 'G. Kneller Equ. pinxit 1697' and 'Geo. Vertue Sculp. 1722'.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait of John Locke, frontispiece to Works

George Vertue, after Sir Godfrey Kneller · 1722

Ready when you are

Start chatting with John Locke now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions