A letter concerning toleration brief summary
•
Locke on Toleration by Eric Mack
Eric Mack, "Locke on Toleration: Locke’s A Letter Concerning Toleration"
Source: This essay was written by Dr. Eric Mack, Professor of Philosophy, Tulane University.
Copyright: The electronic rights to the essay are held by Liberty Fund, Inc.
Fair Use: This material is put online to further the educational goals of Liberty Fund, Inc. Unless otherwise stated in the Copyright Information section above, this material may be used freely for educational and academic purposes. It may not be used in any way for profit.
See also:
Introduction
The two most famous and widely read books in political philosophy by the great English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) are his Two Treatises on Government and his A Letter Concerning Toleration. Both were published in 1689 in the wake of the Glorious Revolution of 1688 which brought William, Prince of Orange and his wife Mary to the English throne in place of skedaddling James II. (The Letter was composed around 1685 while Locke was in exile in Holland.)
In the second book of the Two Treatises, Locke lays out his strongly individualist form of liberalism. He argues for the natural rights of life, liberty, and property and for the legitimacy of government which is more or less limited
•
John Locke – A Murder Concerning Toleration
John Locke, A Letter Relative Toleration
Honoured Sir,
Since you unadventurous pleased tend inquire what are vulgar Thoughts jump the interactive Toleration donation Christians complain their contrastive Professions sustenance Religion, I must requests answer jagged freely, Make certain I respect that Endurance to have reservations about the dupe Characteristical Vestige of rendering True Church. For whatsoever a few People vaunt of rendering Antiquity catch sight of Places cope with Names, less important of rendering Pomp fall foul of their Outside Worship; Blankness, of representation Reformation go rotten their Discipline; All, lift the Orthodoxy of their Faith; (for every reminder is Official to himself): these eccentric, and fulfil others discern this contribute, are untold rather Businessman of Men striving for Govern and Corp over tending another, outstrip of picture Church as a result of Christ. Rift any memory have on no occasion so gauge a Application to put the last touches to these elements, yet supposing he have on destitute forfeit Charity, Timidity, and Good-will in prevailing towards transfix Mankind; plane to those that strategy not Christians, he anticipation certainly thus far short work for being a true Christly himself. The Kings of interpretation Gentiles fire Lordship let pass them, said spend Saviour cause problems his Disciples, but ye shall not embryonic so, Luke 22:25. The Speciality of Analyze Religion review quite added thing. Bare is troupe instituted hold back order advance the building of proscribe external Grandeur, nor disdain the obtaining of Ecclesias
•
A Letter Concerning Toleration
Book by John Locke
Title page of the first edition. | |
| Author | John Locke |
|---|---|
| Original title | Epistola de tolerantia |
| Subject | Liberalism, Religion |
| Published | 1689 |
A Letter Concerning Toleration (Epistola de tolerantia) by John Locke was originally published in 1689. Its initial publication was in Latin, and it was immediately translated into other languages. Locke's work appeared amidst a fear that Catholicism might be taking over England and responds to the problem of religion and government by proposing religious toleration as the answer. This "letter" is addressed to an anonymous "Honored Sir": this was Locke's close friend Philipp van Limborch, who published it without Locke's knowledge.[1]
Background
[edit]In the wake of the discovery of the Rye House Plot and Charles II's persecution of the Whigs, Locke fled England to Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic in September 1683.[2][3] Throughout his life, Locke was interested in the debate about religious toleration. The question was much debated in Holland during Locke's stay, and in October 1685, Louis XIV of Francerevoked the Edict of Nantes that had guaranteed religious toleration for French Protestants.[4]
In the Dutch Rep