VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new book about John Locke, an English philosopher commonly known as the "Father of Liberalism,” spotlights his pioneering ideas about equality, individual rights and the role of the state, which helped lay the foundation for modern societies.
Published by the Fraser Institute, the book The Essential John Locke (and its accompanying website and animated videos) provides an overview of his key ideas.
“Locke’s insights into the nature of a just government and personal freedom laid the groundwork for a radically different political philosophy, which helped change the western world,” said the book’s author Eric Mack, a professor emeritus of philosophy at Tulane University.
In the year following the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Locke published his two most important works in political theory. The Two Treatises of Government, which argued for limiting the function of government to the protection of individual rights to “life, liberty, and estate” and A Letter Concerning Toleration, one of the great landmark essays in defense of religious toleration. Both works emphasized the value of individual freedom.
Locke’s writings influenced many thinkers and scholars including Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the Scottish Enlightenment thinkers and the American revolutionaries. Classical liberalism, as it became known, became a revolutionary force in the western world in the 18th and 19th centuries and remains influential to this day.
John Locke was born in Wrington, a village in England, in 1632. After completing his studies at the prestigious Westminster School in London he was admitted to Christ Church, Oxford where, in addition to philosophy, he studied medicine. In 1667, Locke joined the household of leading liberal politician, the Earl of Shaftsbury, as an intellectual aide and medical advisor. Locke fled to Holland in 1683 due to his suspected support for plots against Charles II. He returned to England after the successful Glorious Revolution. Locke died in 1704 at age 72.
At www.essentialjohnlocke.org, you can download the complete book and individual chapters for free. And view several short videos summarizing the key points of individual chapters. The videos are also available on the Fraser Institute’s YouTube channel.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Eric Mack,
Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Tulane University
ericmack123@hotmail.com
Jason Clemens
Executive Vice-President, Fraser Institute
jason.clemens@fraserinstitute.org
To arrange interviews or for more information, please contact:
Mark Hasiuk at (604) 688-0221 ext. 517 or mark.hasiuk@fraserinstitute.org
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The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute’s independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org