Whose ideas are considered foundational to modern democracy?

John Locke's ideas are foundational to modern democracy primarily because of his concepts of natural rights, social contract, and government by consent. Locke argued that individuals are born with certain inalienable rights, including life, liberty, and property. He posited that the primary role of government is to protect these rights, and if a government fails to do so, the people have the right to overthrow it.

Locke's emphasis on reason and individual rights significantly influenced Enlightenment thought and laid the groundwork for democratic principles that emphasize the importance of individual freedoms and the belief that government derives its authority from the consent of the governed. His writings greatly impacted the founding documents of modern democratic states, especially the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

In contrast, although other thinkers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Thomas Hobbes contributed to political philosophy, their visions of the social contract and governance differed from Locke's views on natural rights and individual liberty, thus making Locke's ideas more directly influential in shaping modern democratic thought. St. Thomas Aquinas, while notable for integrating reason with faith, did not advocate for the kind of democratic principles that emerged in the Enlightenment.