John Locke (1632–1704): Theological Premises and Liberal Limits on Government

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Book No. – 4 (Political Science)

Book Name – Western Political Thought (Shefali Jha)

What’s Inside the Chapter? (After Subscription)

1. PATERNAL AUTHORITY AND POLITICAL POWER

2. FREEDOM AND EQUALITY IN THE STATE OF NATURE

3. PRIVATE PROPERTY IN THE STATE OF NATURE

4. CIVIL/POLITICAL SOCIETY

5. THE LIMITS ON GOVERNMENT

6. THE PHILOSOPHICAL AND RELIGIOUS BASIS OF LIMITED GOVERNMENT

7. THE RIGHT TO RESISTANCE

8. THE LIMITS OF LOCKE’S LIBERALISM

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John Locke (1632–1704): Theological Premises and Liberal Limits on Government

Chapter – 7

John Locke was born in England in 1632, during a time of political tension between King and Parliament.
Locke’s father had fought for Parliament during the English Civil War, which had ended by the time Locke was young.
After the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, things were calm for a while, but tensions grew when James II, a Catholic, became king in 1685.
The Exclusion Crisis (1679–1681) saw Parliament trying to prevent James II from ascending the throne due to his Catholicism.
Fears of Catholicism and absolutism marked the political landscape of England during this period, with some considering Catholic monarchs as supporters of spiritual tyranny and political absolutism.
James II attempted to rule as an absolute monarch, leading to opposition, including the Duke of Monmouth’s failed invasion from Holland.
Religious freedom became intertwined with the political struggle, with Parliament and the Anglican Churchadvocating for liberty of conscience, while the king supported it.
In 1662, Charles II issued a Declaration of Indulgence suspending penal laws against religious dissent but was forced to rescind it by Parliament.
Locke was deeply involved in political events such as the Exclusion Crisis, the Rye House Plot, and the Monmouth Rebellion, which led him to go into exile in Europe more than once.
Locke attended Christ Church College at the University of Oxford and became a part of the natural philosophymovement, studying subjects like medicine and botany.
Early on, Locke was a conservative, supporting absolute monarchy and religious uniformity.
In 1666, Locke met the 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, a key political figure, and began a close relationship with him.
Locke’s political views changed dramatically due to Shaftesbury’s influence, particularly on property rights and dissent against civil magistrates.
Locke’s early writings, such as Two Tracts on Government (1660), reflect his belief in the conflictual human condition, mitigated by God’s rules.
Locke believed that the laws of nature were based on divine positive law, with the civil magistrate’s authority aligning with God’s purposes.
Locke initially supported the extensive powers of the civil magistrate, especially in matters of religious ceremonies, allowing no justification for disobedience on religious grounds.
However, Locke’s position changed after his association with Shaftesbury, especially in his Essay on Toleration(1667), where he argued for the non-interference of the sovereign in religious matters unless they threatened peace and security.
Locke contended that coercion in religion was useless, and people had the right to refuse religious practices they deemed wrong.
This shift marked Locke’s advocacy for the autonomy of individual religious judgment, influencing his later political thought.
Locke’s most famous works, Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690) and Two Treatises of Government(1690), along with his Letters on Toleration, were published later in life, establishing his liberal philosophy.