John Locke (1632-1704) has a good claim to the title of the greatest
ever English philosopher, and was a founding father of both the
empiricist tradition in philosophy and the liberal tradition in
politics. This new book provides an accessible introduction to Locke's
thought. Although its primary focus is on the Essay Concerning Human
Understanding, it also discusses the Two Treatises on Government, the
Essay on Toleration, and the Reasonableness of Christianity, and draws
on materials from Locke's correspondence and notebooks to shed light on
the contexts of these major works. Locke's arguments for his central
claims are subjected to close scrutiny, and his replies to his main
critics evaluated.
A.J. Pyle takes as his guiding theme Locke's own maxim, that God has
given humans enough knowledge for our needs. The philosopher who emerges
from these pages is a strikingly modern figure, anti-metaphysical in his
attitude both to science and to theology, anti-authoritarian in his
politics, and cautiously optimistic about human progress. Locke is
indeed one of the founding figures of the Enlightenment, but for Pyle
the Lockean Enlightenment is a modest affair of slow and hesitant
groping towards the light.
As well as serving as an introduction to Locke for students, the book
also helps to correct a number of significant errors and
misunderstandings that have marred our understanding of Locke and will
spark discussion and debate amongst scholars of his work.
