Product Description

A reprint of the Penguin/Mentor edition of 1993.

John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government (c. 1681) is perhaps the key founding liberal text. A Letter Concerning Toleration, written in 1685 (a year when a Catholic monarch came to the throne of England and Louis XVI unleashed a reign of terror against Protestants in France), is a classic defense of religious freedom. Yet many of Locke’s other writings—not least the Constitutions of Carolina, which he helped draft—are almost defiantly anti-liberal in outlook.

This comprehensive collection brings together the main published works (excluding polemical attacks on other people’s views) with the most important surviving evidence from among Locke’s papers relating to his political philosophy. David Wootton’s wide-ranging and scholarly Introduction sets the writings in the context of their time, examines Locke’s developing ideas and unorthodox Christianity, and analyzes his main arguments. The result is the first fully rounded picture of Locke’s political thought in his own words.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #145757 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 478 pages

About the Author
David Wootton is Professor of History, Queen Mary and Westfield College, London. His translations of Machiavelli (The Prince and Selected Political Writings), Thomas More (Utopia), and Voltaire (Candide and Related Texts) are also published by Hackett Publishing Company.

Customer Reviews

The basis of civil government
This compilation of Locke's political writings not only contains his famed second treatise, but also suplementary essays supporting his views and espousing other particulars. The book is a must for any one interested in political philosophy in the least simply because most of the ideas espoused were incorparated into the foundation of our country. The essays set up locke's basic democratic theories and his version of social contract society. the reading is mildly technical and archaic, but not too bad. an excellent start to any one interested in philosophy