John Locke (1632–1704) is a central figure in the history of thought, and in liberal doctrine especially. This major study brings a range of his wider views to bear upon his political theory. Every political theorist has a vision, a view about the basic features of life and society, as well as technique which mediates this into propositions about politics. Locke’s vision spanned questions concerning Christian worship, ethics, political economy, medicine, the human understanding, revealed theology and education. This study shows how the character of these wider concerns informed Two Treatises of Government, especially in respect of a view of divine teleology, and situated a distinctive view of politics which treated the state and the church in parallel terms.

• One of the most complex and most important studies of the thought of John Locke • Relates what Locke thought about religion, education, medicine, ethics, and other topics, to his political thought • A major addition to the really essential literature on one of the most central figures in the history of thought

Contents
Preface; Preface to the revised edition; Acknowledgements; A note on citations; Introduction; Prelude; 1. Order and its values; Part I. A Developing Mind and Locke’s Early Politics; 2. The problem of church and state; 3. Exploring natural law; 4 Toleration, church and state; 5. A philosophical position and its political origins; Part II. Church and State: 6. From ‘An essay concerning Toleration’ to the Epistola de Tolerantia; 7. The mind of Locke and Two Treatises of Government; Part III: Some Intellectual Consequences of Locke’s Political Theory: 8. On natural law and its obligation; 9. Theology and conduct in Some Thoughts Concerning Education; 10. Reinterpreting Christianity; Conclusion.