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The Significance of Religion in John Locke's Advocacy of Revolution Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Master's Theses Graduate School 2008 Appealing to Heaven: The iS gnificance of Religion in John Locke's Advocacy of Revolution Glenn Andrew Moots Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons Recommended Citation Moots, Glenn Andrew, "Appealing to Heaven: The iS gnificance of Religion in John Locke's Advocacy of Revolution" (2008). LSU Master's Theses. 2445. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/2445 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. APPEALING TO HEAVEN: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RELIGION IN JOHN LOCKE‟S ADVOCACY OF REVOLUTION A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in The Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies by Glenn A. Moots A.B., The University of Michigan, 1991 M.A., Louisiana State University, 1993 M.S., Walsh College, 1996 Ph.D., Louisiana State University, 2007 May, 2008 ©Copyright 2008 Glenn A. Moots All rights reserved ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My committee, Professors Mary Sirridge, Francois Raffoul, and James R. Stoner Jr., were very gracious to review and improve a project that far exceeded its projected scope, length, and timeframe. Their keen insight and critical remarks are helpful not only for this project but also for my future research. I am thankful for their mentoring. I am especially thankful to Mary Sirridge for her careful edits and conceptual critiques. I take responsibility for the remaining errors, of course. Thanks are also due to my compatriots in Locke studies. Some helped me mine the riches of Locke through their papers and books while others have worked with me to form conference panels and thereby spur formal and informal conversation. I look forward to a long and fruitful engagement with them over the years to come. Thanks are also due to Joe Feeney, another “prodigal son” who (like me) returned to graduate school later than most. His passionate academic interests and his good heart have been an encouragement to me over many academic labors. The Acton Institute and Intercollegiate Studies Institute have been very generous in providing funding for this and other research projects. Without their support, I would not have the time to complete them. Finally, my greatest appreciation is due to my family. Time with them is a precious blessing, and I hope that this project proves to be worth that sacrifice! iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................. iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................................. v ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. ... 1 II. RELIGIOUS MOTIVATIONS FOR LOCKE'S POLITICAL IDEAS…………………19 III. PROVIDENTIAL UNDERSTANDING IN AN ESSAY CONCERNING HUMAN UNDERSTANDING ............................................................................................... 46 IV. LAW AND REVELATION IN THE REASONABLENESS OF CHRISTIANITY ... 86 V. POLITICS AND REVELATION: DISCERNING DIVINE IMPERATIVES AND WARRANTS ......................................................................................................... 113 VI. APPEALING TO HEAVEN: REVOLUTION RECAST .......................................... 131 VII. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................... 148 ENDNOTES ....................................................................................................................... 154 BIBLIOGRAPHY .............................................................................................................. 163 VITA ..................................................................................................................................... 167 iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS It is customary in a work on Locke to cite the primary sources within the text itself. Locke's works are cited using the following abbreviations. Complete information on the editions cited is provided in the bibliography. I have also taken the liberty of modifying spelling and removing italics. Grammar and capitalization has been left as it appears in the editions used. Two Tracts of Government Tracts, page number Letter Concerning Toleration Letter, page number First Treatise of Government TI.paragraph number, page number Second Treatise of Government TII.paragraph number, page number Some Thoughts Concerning Education Thoughts.paragraph number, page number The Reasonableness of Christianity R, page number Essay on Toleration Essay, page number Essay Concerning Human Understanding E.book.chapter.section number, page number v ABSTRACT This research addresses the intersection of philosophy and theology in Locke‟s philosophy, particularly his political philosophy. The justification for this inquiry is Locke‟s use of the phrase “Appeal to Heaven” in the Second Treatise together with his advocacy of resistance in the Letter Concerning Toleration. The thesis begins with a brief survey of the relevant secondary literature and frames the intersection of theology and political philosophy. The thesis then seeks to justify the claim that Locke‟s political ideas were motivated by religious concerns. This includes a close examination of An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, The Reasonableness of Christianity and his works on religious toleration. The thesis then examines the Two Treatises and Letter Concerning Toleration in light of what Locke said elsewhere about the significance of God and religion. The intended goal is to demonstrate that Locke‟s argument for resistance and revolution is ultimately motivated by his own theistic religious arguments. vi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Controversial Locke Locke is a philosopher whose work inspires academic controversy. Some of that controversy concerns the particulars of Locke‟s liberalism and his political philosophy.1 This includes, but is not limited to, its contemporary significance, historical roots, and motivations.2 Some scholars recommend Locke as an antidote for what they fear to be moral peril in contemporary liberalism.3 Others indict the liberal tradition and cite Locke as its primary villain.4 Some scholars leave aside Locke‟s political theory and instead devote themselves to other facets of his philosophy.5 There is renewed interest in the relevance of religion in Locke‟s overall philosophy.6 And whereas Locke used to be known for the most part as a “social contract theorist” or “empiricist” because of traditional focus on either the Two Treatises (or sometimes just the Second Treatise) or An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, there is new emphasis on viewing Locke‟s major works as an integrated study.7 Locke has become a figure of such prominence and debate that one is tempted to ask, when coming to a new Locke study, “Which Locke will this be now?” There are now new Lockes and old Lockes. This project focuses on an aspect of Locke‟s political philosophy quite appropriate for examination in light of such controversies, his treatment of political resistance and revolution. That question intersects with many of the current debates and offers a fresh examination of another previously “settled” matter in Locke studies. By studying one of the most radical of modern political doctrines, as articulated by one of liberalism‟s godfathers, we gain insight into 1 the foundations of liberalism. We may also gain insight into the American Revolution, where Locke‟s ideas had important historical significance.8 We may even be able to gain lessons applicable to contemporary liberalism‟s theory and practice. Reconsidering this area of Locke‟s political philosophy may require distancing ourselves from what we think we know. As is so often the case in Locke, the well-worn paths from past scholarship are sometimes the least profitable to travel. Tarcov is probably right in asserting that Americans consider Locke to be “our political philosopher.”9 But sometimes what appears most familiar is not well known. What Locke has come to represent to us in popular terms, or simpler academic terms, may not be borne out by a careful study of Locke‟s own argument. We then approach Locke with a fresh perspective to review his arguments about resistance and revolution. The “new” Locke scholarship (in general) may not have everything quite right, but the revisionists are forcing a badly needed reexamination. Previous discussions of Locke‟s arguments on resistance and revolution see these as corollaries of his theories about rights and contract. Simmons almost gets it right when he asserts “It is in his theory of resistance that Locke completes his account of the political relationship, applying his views of political consent and of the limits on political consensual transactions to an analysis of injustice and misfortune in actual
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