Perspectives on the Liberalism of John Locke

1. What is liberalism?

A modern phenomenon? Contemporary liberalism. Limited and conditional government

2. Locke and liberalism:

Historical background. Stuart absolutism and the Glorious Revolution.

3. Natural Law and Divine Law.

Rights and theism. The role of reason.

4. State of Nature.

Its character and its difficulties.

5. The Problem of slavery in Locke.

6. Property.

Self-ownership. Personhood. Labour. Inequality.

7. Marriage and the family.

Contract and consent. Conjugal society and political society.

8. The Origin of political society.

Consent, contract, democracy and its limits.

9. The Division of powers:

Executive, legislative and federative.

10. Rebellion and the ‘appeal to heaven’.

11. Toleration.

The political and private spheres. Freedom of religion and intolerance of atheism.

12. Conclusion. Critical summary.

Different interpretations (libertarian, left-liberalism, property and Marxian critique).

Primary texts: The Second Treatises of Government,

Also: A Letter concerning Toleration. An Essay concerning Human Understanding

Good online introductions are from The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Locke's Essay concerning Human Understanding can be found here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10615/10615-h/10615-h.htm

Further literature will be available here for download.