John Locke's A Letter Concerning Toleration

It seems Locke may have allowed his faith to influence him in some aspects of his philosophies. One way that religion

Locke believed that reason is what tells those in the natural state not to murder or offend anyone’s right to life, liberty and property. John Locke stated that this Natural right is inalienable, meaning that it becomes a great injustice to violate it.

The writings of John Locke were basic in the idea that they focused on the natural rights of people, the rights given by God. Locke had theories when it came to religious tolerance. Locke believed that earthly judges, the state in particular, and human beings generally, cannot dependably evaluate the truth-claims of competing religious standpoints. InA Letter Concerning Toleration, Locke argues for freedom of religion, which became one of the bedrock principles which the country was founded on.

John Locke presents ideas within “Toleration and Government” which form a liberal ideology. The aim of this paper is to identify the strengths and weaknesses within John Locke’s ideology. Paragraph I will discuss the main concepts in the text. Paragraph II will identify the ideology’s explanation of political phenomena, it’s criteria and standards of explanation, and it’s cultural and social orientation. Paragraph III exemplifies elements which I found strong within Locke's work.

His father was a lawyer and a small landowner. As a child, Locke went to Elite Westminster School. By the time he was 20 years old, he was a student at Christ Church, Oxford, then later became a lecturer at that same church in 1667. He focused on the curriculum of logic, metaphysics, and classics as well as medicine. In 1666 Locke met the parliamentarian Anthony Ashley Cooper and a year later, Locke was appointed physician to Shaftesbury’s household. Over time he expressed the radical view that government is morally required to serve people, namely by protecting life, liberty, and property. Locke explained the proposition of checks and balances to help limit government power. Locke condemned tyranny. Locke insisted that when the government violates individual rights, people should legitimately be able to rebel. From this we can see that Locke wanted to give people the best life that he could, but how did this phrase end up in the

CD: In his Second Treatise on Government, published in 1689, Locke discusses the natural human state as free, unregulated, and that “no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions”. (BOOK)

In document A John Locke who lived in England during the english civil war and the Glorious Revolution, believed in classifying people from their way of lifestyle and believed in giving more rights and freedom to the upper class. Proof of that is “ all men are naturally in, and that

In John Locke’s A Letter Concerning Tolerance, he discusses his opinion towards options. Being able to

2. After 1688, Great Britain permitted religious toleration to which groups? Lutherans, Jews, and Muslims

Religious toleration declared one Virginia patriot, was part of “the common cause of Freedom.” There’s already seen that some colonies, for example like Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, had long made a practice of toleration. But for freedom of worship before revolution past more from the reality of religious pluralism than from well-developed theory of religious liberty. The authorities in England had occasionally presses the religion’s rulers to become more toleration, but the revolution most colonies supported religious institutions with public funds and discriminated in voting and office holding against Catholics, Jews, and even dissenting

In Locke’s first Treatises of Government he discussed how Divine Rights of Kings are not by God’s will. Unlike Filmer Locke believes that people are leaders and Kings due to the

Firstly, he argues that the "Care of Souls" cannot be entrusted to a Magistrate more than any other man.  People are individually responsible for their own salvation, and no man has been given a natural authority over another man's salvation.  After all, according to the dominant religious traditions, all men are equal in the eyes of God.  Even in the absence of natural authority, one cannot even confer an artificial authority to a Magistrate.  Why?  Because salvation is an individual responsibility.  But what if the Magistrate were to enact a law contrary to religious belief?  In such a case, civil obedience would mean hypocrisy - and this would be immoral.  One must never be made to choose between religion and state.  Secondly, the Magistracy wields only an outward force, whereas true salvation lies in one's inward resolve.  He writes:  "Such is the nature of the Understanding, that it cannot be compell'd [sic] to the belief of any thing by outward force."2  Moreover, enjoining righteousness is not the monopoly of the Magistracy; it is a right belonging to all people.  Thirdly, Locke argues that with so much disparity between religious opinions, all states would be in conflict.  In such cases, he argues:

Locke’s most important works are the Essay Concerning Human Understanding and the Two Treatises of Government. Locke describes the development of the Essay as having been sparked by a discussion with a

Providing the 17th century world with an alternative, innovative view on philosophy, politics, economics, and education among other interrelated and important aspects of life, John Locke proved to be a person of immense impact. Born in 1632, in Wrington, England, Locke was the author of many known writings which include the Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689), The Two Treaties of Government (1698), A Letter Concerning Toleration (1689), and Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693) (Goldie 32). Locke’s writings represent a series of topics involving the purpose of philosophy, emergence of empiricism, and the role as well as limits of governments and churches in terms of liberty and natural rights. In a time where exposure of such

John Locke linked human behavior with our nature. He argued in his works that men are governed and guided by the rules within our nature. “The state of Nature has a law of Nature to govern it, which obliges every one, and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions.” (2nd Treatise.6) Even without any manmade laws that specifically guide us what and how to do a certain thing, we are programmed to follow basic rules mutually understood by every human on Earth. Locke brought up that these rules discourage, in fundamental, people from gaining power by depriving that of others. He noticed, by specifically employing the word mankind, that the ability to accept and live by this rudimentary rule is the ultimate characteristic that makes us who we are. It is the ability to respect other’s