A Letter Concerning Toleration (Hackett Classics)

by John Locke and John P. Horton

Book Overview

Ever since humankind raised its head toward the heavens in search of universal understanding and spiritual fulfillment, wars, pogroms, persecution, prejudice, and contempt have been the means of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 091514560X
• Release Date: July 1983
• Publisher: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
• Length: 72 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.3" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Letter on Toleration

This should be given to every person walking into a church, synagogue, mosque, ect. This essay is a must read, especially in todays world with people coming into contact with different types of people daily!

Timeless Philosophy that pre-dated the great Revolutions.

The previous reviews leave little that needs to be added, especially from marquisburano. This is a great afternoon read that serves as a peek into the influence of our Founding Fathers as well as a glimse of the early ideas that led to the Revolutions. There is only one thought to add that may be splitting hairs, but holds theoretical ramifications when one considers it. Locke describes in this book 'separation of state from the church'. Yes, he supposes individual freedom of expression of faith, but he views the institutions of faith as entities that can be proactive within the state. The split hair is that in a 'separation of church and state' (which actually is not stated in the Constitution) scenario, we arive at a benign faith community that exists exclusive (in theory) of the state. The first is a restriction only on the state to act on the church, the latter creates a duality for those of faith. The author does not necessarily imply an opinion for either interpretation. The point made is that this book must be read with the eyes of the history in which it was written. Knowing the history is a great start, but you must also examine it hermaneutically to understand that Locke was arguing against England intermingling (understatement) with the Chruch, as many other authors since Henry VIII have done. Read Locke, he is one of the masters of his time and our lives are affected by it daily.

An excellent, concise, and well-written work

Locke's _A Letter Concerning Toleration_ is key for many reasons, not least of which is its startling relevance to contemporary society. Locke sees tolerance as fundamentally a "live and let live" situation, a state which must be acheived to avoid the endless relativity of a regime fueled by religion; as each man is orthodox to himself and heretical to others, he argues, religious tolerance *must* be a basic societal tenet for the state to function. Excellently argued and written, Locke's _A Letter Concerning Toleration_ is an "inevitable read" for most students that should be welcomed with open arms and minds.

A CLASSIC AGAINST INTOLERANCE

This work by Locke, in spite of its brevity, is a required piece of reading in order to put in perspective the other endeavors of the author. The issues discussed in this Essay were at the base of the formation of political theory in the Western world, during the centuries of enlightenment. Locke's effort in the case of this Letter (of the 4 he wrote, this is the first one, published in 1689 in English, from a text published some months previously in Holland) was the rescue of religious tolerance vis a vis political powers and structures, and the recognition of the need for a sphere of private religious freedom, legally guaranteed and exempt from the interference of political power. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: When Locke wrote this Letter, there was still controversy regarding the definition of the concepts of liberty of conscience and religious freedom. In fact, the first step of the ladder is represented by the idea of religious tolerance. The starting point of analysis, at the time, came from the observation of the fact that certain degree of intolerance has always existed (religious, political, racial) in the human nature. If one analyzes the origin of religious intolerance in the western world, it stems necessarily from the fact that every Church or denomination, claims with more or less clarity to be the sole bearer of the truth. In this context, what could be the meaning of "tolerance" as a concession or pretense ? To recognize to the dissidents and minorities the possibility to coexist peacefully in a certain society, without having to renounce the external manifestations of their beliefs. But the need for religious tolerance can only make sense in a society where a dominant religious majority has the power to impose onto others its dogmas, either directly (a theocratic government) or through secular political power (the papist states). On the other hand, the concept of religious freedom implies the recognition for the individual of the natural right to freely profess and express his beliefs, without the intervention or interference of political power or Government. Accordingly, whilst tolerance had been considered historically as a "concession" granted by the dominant religious movement or Church to other religious minorities, religious freedom appears in the Western civilization only once the political power is separated from the religious community. And here the Reform had its influence. LOCKE'S TOLERANCE: Against this background, the problem of tolerance appears to Locke as a political problem, based on his conception of the State as a society born out of the consent of free men. In his State, it is logical to deny the political power, the possibility to interfere in private matters. Locke defends religious tolerance recurring to several arguments. Politically, war and factionalisms are not the product of religious differences, but of human intolerance. In other words, it is not a requisite for the State, in order to function, to h