John Locke

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Description

John Locke (1632-1704), one of the great philosophers, is probably best known for his contributions to political thought. In this outstanding volume, Eric Mack explains Locke's philosophical position, placing it in the tumultuous political and religious context of 17th century England. For Locke, entering into political society did not involve giving up one's natural rights, but rather transferring to governmental authority the job of protecting those rights. In this rigorous critical analysis, Mack argues that Locke provides an impressive - if not decisive - philosophical case for the view that individuals have natural rights to life, liberty and property, despite the existence or actions of any political authority.

Reviews

"The volumes in this timely series comprise the most comprehensive body of material on conservative and libertarian thought yet published in a single project devoted to the subject. The series will prove an indispensable tool not only for those concerned with the history of political thought but also for those who confront the challenging task of constructing a viable contemporary conservative identity. Professor Meadowcroft had a difficult editorial task, to which he has responded with a judicious choice of thinkers and topics."--Noel O'Sullivan, Professor of Political Philosophy, the University of Hull, UK.
John Locke is without a question the book I would put in the hands of anyone looking for an overview of Locke's political philosophy, especially someone looking for an overview of that shows how and why Locke is indeed a proto-libertarian or proto-Objectivist rights theorist. - Reason Papers, Fall 2010

Author Bio

Eric Mack is Professor of Philosophy at Tulane University, USA, and the author of numerous articles in scholarly journals on libertarian philosophy.