Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2011 Rethinking Liberal Political Thought: John Locke, Religious Forms of Reasoning, and Institutional Participation in Democratic Discourse Matthew R. Hagele Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact
[email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES RETHINKING LIBERAL POLITICAL THOUGHT: JOHN LOCKE, RELIGIOUS FORMS OF REASONING, AND INSTITUTIONAL PARTICIPATION IN DEMOCRATIC DISCOURSE By MATTHEW R. HAGELE A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Religion in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2011 Copyright © 2011 Matthew R. Hagele All Rights Reserved Matthew R. Hagele defended this dissertation on September 19, 2011. The members of the supervisory committee were: John Kelsay Professor Directing Dissertation Michael Ruse University Representative Sumner B. Twiss Committee Member Martin Kavka Committee Member Sarah Irving Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the dissertation has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation represents simply one moment in a journey for the search for wisdom that has marked my life for many years and will continue to mark my life for years to come. Many individuals, communities, and institutions have played significant roles in the chapter of my journey that culminates with this dissertation. At the most practical level, I am grateful to the Department of Religion at Florida State University for its financial support during my years of graduate study, both in the form of tuition waivers and research and teaching assistantships, the latter of which afforded me invaluable exposure to the life of an academic that awaits me.