I wrote my John Locke essay about a really interesting question: How did the ideas of two old philosophers, Rousseau and Locke, influence leaders like Hitler and Churchill? At first, it seemed complicated, but digging into it taught me so much.
his project changed how I think about politics today. Now when I hear politicians talk about “freedom” or “the people’s will,” I understand these ideas come from long philosophical debates. Most importantly, I learned that we have to think carefully about ideas, because even good ones can be dangerous if used the wrong way.