PHIL 2035: John Locke and Toleration

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PHIL 2035John Locke and Toleration

• Lecture 2
• The Letter Concerning Toleration

2
Recall key dates

• Edict of Nantes, 1598
• Peace of Westphalia, 1648
• Restoration, GB, 1660 attempts to restore one
  faith (Anglican Church) for all
• Revocation of EN, 1685
• Baptist burned at stake (G.B.), 1685
• Glorious Revolution (G.B.) 1688
• Letter published 1689 (first in Latinwhy?)

3
Lockes Second Treatise keep government within
bounds

• Prevent intrusion into private sphere.

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Central IssueRole of Government

• Traditional understanding
• Paternal (like a father) father may intervene in
  children's lives for their own good
• Sacred (decreed by God)
• Symbolized by anointing the head of the monarch
  with holy oil in shape of a cross
• Lockes understanding
• Limit to protecting citizens goods and lives.

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Coronation of QE II, Westminster Abbey, 1953
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Locke on PA

• Locke is against
• 1. Sacred Character of Political Authority
• Locke, Second Treatise, pars. 1-3
• 2. Paternal Character of Political Authority
• L, pars. 1, 52ff., 92
• 3. Legitimacy of Absolute Rule
• L, pars. 90-4, Absolute rule tyranny

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What are Rights?

• Some outlined in Magna Carta, 1215
• England, King John confronted by nobles
• They demanded liberties of Englishmen
• E.g. compensation for goods seized by Crown
• Examples of RIGHTs
• liberty to speak,
• assemble or associate freely (including strike)
• so long as one does not harm others.

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Religious FreedomModern Bills of Rights

• U.S. Bill of Rights, art. 1
• Congress shall make no law respecting the
  establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
  free exercise thereof.
• HK Basic Law, art 32
• Hong Kong residents shall have freedom of
  religious belief and freedom to preach and to
  conduct and participate in religious activities
  in public.
• http//www.info.gov.hk/basic_law/fulltext/.

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Essay Concerning Human Understanding

• Strong links b/w Essay and Letter
• Essay examines basis for knowledge claims
• Stipulates Sensationalism
• But certain knowledge is very difficult to
  achieve
• We should therefore be humble in making knowledge
  claims
• Religious beliefs subject to same limitations.

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Essay Bk IV, ch. xvi

• We should do well to commiserate our mutual
  ignorance, and endeavour to remove it in all the
  gentle and fair ways of information and not
  instantly treat others illbecause they will not
  renounce their own, and receive our opinions
• For where is the man, that has incontestable
  evidence of the truth of all that he holds, of
  the falsehood of all that he condemns?

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What is toleration for Locke?

• Toleration right to believe and worship as one
  pleases
• Free from interference by public authorities
• New idea that a state could tolerate
• subjects/citizens of various Christian
  denominations and/or
• other faiths (e.g. Judaism)

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Civil Interests, i.e. what the People need the
State to take care of

• Civil Interests I call Life, Liberty, Health and
  Indolency absence of pain of Body and the
  Possession of outward things, such as Money,
  Lands, Houses, Furniture and the like (26).
• Civil Interests do not anything concerning
  religionmine or yours!

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Magistrates role

• Magistrate representative of govt
• Role protect public good
• Public good has nothing to do with religion
• Magistrate can order a child to be washed for
  public health reasons
• But not for religious ones (e.g. baptism)!
• Note the health-related character of this example.

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Lockes Definition of a Church

• Completely voluntary, not by birth
• Not by compulsion of state or any other authority
• An individual choice, should not be compelled by
  any external authority
• No civil penalties, e.g. exclusion from public
  office (31), for following a certain faith.

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Civil Disobedience

• Case of laws that require individuals to act
  against their religious beliefs
• E.g. Compulsory conscription vs Quaker pacifiism
  (discussed in Voltaires Letters concerning the
  English Nation)
• Are such individuals justified in disobeying the
  law?
• Only if laws concern matters that should not
  concern Magistrate (e.g. baptism)
• Locke Quakers may disobey, but must take the
  penalty exacted by the law, e.g. prison (48).

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Lockes view of religion (Chuen)

• Hence Religion to Locke served two functions of
• personal salvation and
• social well-being (i.e. unity and stability).
• The social utiliy approach of religion in
  Enlightenment period is stressed in Outrams
  chapter, The rise of modern paganism? Religion
  and the Enlightenment).

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Lockes Distrust of Atheism

• Citizens may adhere privately to any religion or
  sect
• This is not a public matter
• However, ATHEISM is another matter (51)
• Atheists do not believe in God
• They therefore cannot swear sacred oaths to keep
  contracts or give evidence in Court
• This means they are not trustworthy business
  partners or citizens.

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Is this a convincing argument?

• Can you think of any objections?

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Bush on Atheism convincing?

• George Bush I don't know that Atheists should
  be considered as citizens, nor should they be
  considered patriots. This is one nation under
  God. (For details, please visit
  http//www.secularism.org.uk/33034.html).
• Do you think Atheists should be rejected from
  citizenship like Locke and Bush did?
• Do you agree that there is contradiction between
  the salvation function and social function of
  Religion?