The only possible fence against the world is a thorough knowledge of it.

Name	John Locke
Life	1632 - 1704
Country	England
Category	Realism
Wikipedia	>>

Man will continue to compete with man. Historically, to win, he has needed ever bigger armies with physically strong soldiers. Over time, he has needed to equip them with better weapons than has the enemy. Invention of better arms requires mentally skilled "laboratory soldiers". The crude physical battles of Achilles, Alexander and Napoleon are turning into mental battles for the control of the earth from space. Mental work and inventiveness require freedom. Physical toil can be forced with whips, shouts, and shots on deserters. Rulers cannot force reluctant people to think for them, to utilize their brains and their knowledge to the maximum, without giving them freedom. That is why Albert Einstein left Germany for the United States and why the Soviet Union lost the Cold War. Competition is biologically determined. A competitive arms race is the essence of both biological and cultural evolution. That it will go from crude physical, towards refined mental competition, demanding freedom, is equally determined. From which the paradox follows that also freedom is also determined ! The United States of America has become the world's only Superpower. Why? Because, I would suggest, it has permitted the maximum of freedom that is compatible with some social order. Because it has adopted the teaching of John Locke, the first serious democratic philosopher, trusting more in empirical knowledge than in metaphysical thinking. "I think, thus I am." Compare Descartes to Locke's "...fence against the world...thorough knowledge...". What a difference! Contrast Locke's British, global, objective outlook against the French's subjective, egocentric focus upon the vain little "I". Twice, in five words!! Knowledge is a result of mental freedom

of two kinds. You don't get it without freedom from oppressive kings who, like Plato, usually are afraid of free thinkers. Neither do you get it without freedom from religious or political dogmata which - like Marxist KGB-Inquisitions - already possess all truth and knowledge and only demand repetition of inane phrases. Locke also says "...fence against the world". What is that? Locke knew what he spoke about. For a time he lived in exile. Knowledge was the best defense against evil. He had personally experienced this. But his saying has a much wider significance. Knowledge, free scientific thinking, has not only provided mankind with its weapons; it has also resulted in life-giving, productivity-raising technical instruments, giving mankind its life. When Locke wrote, (his two best books were both published in 1690), we were around 600 million inhabitants in the world. Now we are ten times as many. It can surely be said that nine out of ten of those, who now live, including me and you, live thanks to free knowledge. What is more, not only do we have the food, clothing and houses necessary for survival, we also have more individual freedom than ever in history. Those who take Locke seriously see that freedom as a "human right" that should be given to everybody. Much surely remains to be done! But in a virtuous circle, Locke's knowledge requires freedom and gives ever increasing freedom to mankind against the evil forces of the world, against a niggardly nature and against Machiavellian oppressive Princes. As freedom is determined, we are, in the long run, even justified in hoping that knowledge may give decent "human rights" to all, including the poorest and weakest of our global fellow-men.