He argued that the sole test of government was its effectiveness rather than its basis in religion or tradition. ... An influential early liberal was the English philosopher John Locke. ... Much of Locke's philosophy is reflected in the writings of the Anglo-American political philosopher and writer Thomas Paine, who argued that the authority of one generation should not be considered binding on its successors, that the state is perhaps necessary but still an evil, and that a belief in divine order was all the religion that need be demanded of free people. ... In France, Locke's phil...

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• Grade Level: Graduate