John Locke (1)Rezensionen

Stumbled across this one, didn't read every part of it. Fun enough seen as part of the development of political theories, not really useful in modern times.

Os méritos políticos de John Locke são notáveis pois foi ele, ao mesmo tempo, o grande teórico da democracia, o pregador da tolerância e um profeta da separação entre Estado e Igreja. Locke defende nesta carta que as ações dos cidadãos, principalmente as religiosas, devem ser defendidas pelo Estado, desde que essas ações não contrariem a função principal do Estado - defender a vida, a liberdade e a propriedade. A reivindicação por tolerância baseia-se, no direito natural à liberdade, o que tem como pressuposto a separação entre Estado e Igreja.
Em 1686, este conceito filosófico de tolerância, assume um corpo bem sólido, na tentativa de resolver um conflito geral sobre: diferenças sociais, culturais, civilizacionais, étnicas ou religiosas, enfim entre os limites das identidades e fronteiras individuais ou colectivas.
Foram estas suas ideias que conduziram o Parlamento de Londres a aprovar o Acto da Tolerância, de 1689, autorizando a liberdade de culto aos não-conformistas, mesmo que com uma série de reparos ou objecções, ainda assim esse conceito de tolerância abriu o caminho para a «maravilha política» do século XVIII, que foi a instauração do Estado Secular e o direito à Liberdade Religiosa, primeiro nos Estados Unidos da América, pela constituição de 1787, e logo de seguida em França através da Constituição de 1791. Três séculos depois, a questão essencial da tolerância continua «estranhamente» bem viva, permitindo-nos a pergunta básica: como conviver com a diferença, neste mundo cada vez mais marcado por conflitos de vária ordem?
A resposta reflexiva é-nos dada pelo ilustre John Locke:
«Liberdade absoluta, liberdade justa e verdadeira, liberdade equitativa e imparcial é aquilo de que estamos necessitados. Todavia, apesar de sobre isto muito se ter falado, duvido que tal tenha sido bem compreendido; tenho a certeza que não é de forma alguma praticado, quer pelos nossos governantes em relação ao povo em geral, quer por qualquer das partes do povo em conflito umas com as outras.»

John Locke nesta carta defende a separação total entre o estado civil ("magistrado") e a religião, considerando que um deve manter-se concentrado nas leis civis, para o bem estar público, e o outro nas leis religiosas, para a salvação das almas.
Num texto simples, bem estruturado, Locke estabelece e defende estas proposições, concluindo que estando o estado fora da ação religiosa, e sendo a religião uma associação voluntária, a liberdade e tolerância religiosa deve ecistir para o bem estar, tanto do corpo mortal como da alma imortal.
A extensa introdução à edição das Edições 70, também tem um foco interessante na contextualização histórica e no desenvolvimento do pensamento de Locke.
O único defeito da edição é o facto de estar cheia de gralhas, não erros gramaticais mas substituição de letras (por vezes três e quatro duma só vez), tornando a leitura um pouco menos suave, e que teria sido facilmente corrigidas com uma simples revisão do texto.

It's been some time since I read this, and I don't recall any details.

The year of 1689 saw two publications that would make John Locke influential force in political discussions for the next four plus centuries, but a third publication would set the stage for a new school of modern philosophy. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding in which Locke argues against that the mind is born with innate ideas and is instead a blank slate that knowledge is gained through experience.

The work is divided into four books: Book I focuses on Locke’s main thesis in opposing the principle of innate ideas, Book II presents Locke’s argument that every idea is derived from experience either by sensation or reflection, Book III focuses on words and how man uses unique sounds to signify ideas then relate them to others, and Book IV focuses on knowledge in general—that it can be thought of as the sum of ideas and perceptions—and if there can be a limit to human knowledge. Over the 635 pages, Locke’s reasoning while thorough also verged on bloated arguments that would have diluted the overall piece. Of the entire essay, Book IV had the most interesting material as Locke focused on various issues but the one that stood out the most was his look into the existence of God and of Faith and Reason.

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding is a thoughtful yet nearly bloated piece in which John Locke puts forth his thoughts on how we gain knowledge and how we should use it.½

I also agree with him. Innate idea does not exist. without some memory with DNA> >

One type of Democracy. Each & everyone of you will find atleast one chapter that resonates strongly with your life.

Originally published in the wake of the Glorious Revolution these two essays were neglected due to a glut of tracts and treatise in support of the events of 1689-90, it wasn’t until the 1760s that they become important in political discourse. Two Treatise of Government by John Locke were a refutation of absolute monarchy and the theory of the state of nature and how government is created.

The less famous First Treatise is a straight line for line critique of Sir Robert Filmer’s divine right absolutist monarch supporting tract, Patriarcha, the conclusion of which Locke examines the Bible and history to demolish Filmer’s hypothesis. In the Second Treatise Locke turns from Filmer’s work into his own theories of the state of nature and how it eventually led to the formation of a government by contract between individuals. Overall, the First Treatise is slog with Locke apparently having to repeat the same evidence to refute Filmer and essentially isn’t needed to understand its follow-up. On the other hand, the Second Treatise begins slowly as Locke references Filmer until transition to his own theory of the state of nature that leads to his own contract theory that is thought-provoking and historically influential.

Two Treatise of Government while being connected as a refutation and then opposing argument, the latter work by John Locke this is more profound not only as political theory and from an historical perspective.½

Originally a private letter to a Dutch friend who published it without his knowledge, the political thoughts of John Locke was first introduced to his native England in A Letter Concerning Toleration that would allow his future works to gain a large reading then and now.

In a time of political and religious conflict, Locke’s Letter revealed not only his uncertainty of known the “one true religion” when so many versions of Christianity existed but mixed that uncertainty with practical implications what how the peace in civil society would be affected by religious toleration with a reliance on Biblical analysis in key junctions within his argument. While not explicitly copying Roger Williams’ argument that the state can not enforce the first four commandments of the Decalogue as it would be interfering with God, Locke comes close in his argument that civil magistrates should only focus on keeping the peace of civil society by staying out of God’s purview because it would—though implying it already had—result in oppressed groups disrupting civil society either through civic action against them or them acting out in desperation. Locke’s Letter is not as thoroughly anti-Catholic has it was originally thought—though the criticism of High Church Anglicans that his argument for religious toleration would allow a Catholic takeover of England can be seen as them trying to insert a “boogeyman” to hid the fact they were attempting to do what he opposed—as while he opposed those that followed a “foreign” Prince (the Pope with worldly authority), if others who followed the same religious practices and theology while following their natural civil magistrates (essentially practicing Catholic who view the Pope as authority on spiritual matters only) he saw no reason why the latter could not be tolerated. Only at the end of the Letter when Locke discusses heresy and schism that his thoughts are hard to decipher and what relevance it had in the overall work.

A Letter Concerning Toleration was John Locke’s call for government not to concern itself with the spiritual salvation of its citizens and only on their civic wellbeing, while implying that religion should focus the spiritual not the civil. This short piece gives the reader an introduction into Locke’s writing before going on to longer pieces.½

An engaging and important text in the history of philosophy. Locke's essays are lucid and provide a contrast to the thought of Rousseau among others.

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Skimmed over most of it, read parts in full

“Considerando ser de vosso agrado perguntar minha opinião acerca da tolerância mútua entre cristãos em suas diferentes confissões religiosas, devo responder, com brevidade, que considero a tolerância a principal marca distintiva da verdadeira Igreja. Porque, apesar do que algumas pessoas alardeiam acerca da antiguidade de lugares e nomes ou do esplendor de seu ritual de culto, outras sobre a reforma de sua doutrina, bem como, todas elas, da ortodoxia de sua fé – pois todos são ortodoxos para si mesmos –, essas coisas, e todas as outras da mesma natureza, são mais propriamente marcas da luta de homens empenhando-se em alcançar o poder e o domínio uns sobre os outros do que da Igreja de Cristo.”

Locke states one of the building blocks of the concept of individual rights, that finally civil government exists because of an implied agreement to create a structure to control both the right of property, and the right of self preservation. When these rights are in conflict, it seems to him that the right of self preservation should prevail over the right to property. The rest of the essay is in defence of this principle against the idea that the rights of property are paramount in society. The essay was originally published in 1690, and was to some degree giving the reasons for the expulsion of James II from British government.

When you examine the "axioms" of his doctrine, it is very difficult to take his posterior developments very seriously as political theory. What if access to land is limited?

A lot of it is wasted on pointless argumentation about what exactly does the Bible say about the right to rule. There's a lot of Bible quoting and it doesn't get sensible until halfway through. The rest of it is groundbreaking nevertheless quite common sense nowadays. Except the bit about rulers not being allowed to appoint other rulers who were not elected directly by the people and ceding any law making power to them. Sounds like what is annoying people about the EU.

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We are born Free, as we are born Rational.

An inspiring (if somewhat unsound) foundational text in political philosophy.½