Morality and Politics of a Modern Self A Critical Reconstruction of Lockean Liberalism Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Ryuichi Yamaoka LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE University of London 1996 1 UMI Number: U615419 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U615419 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 F 7 ^ 0 7 0 ^ 0 Abstract This thesis attempts to delineate the moral and political thought of John Locke as a philosophical narrative of liberalism. A central issue of the thesis is the idea of the liberal or modem self but I do not interpret Locke's thought exclusively from this perspective. Rather, do I attempt to describe a moral vision that integrates Locke's ideas as a whole, in which his concept of the self is to be understood. The thesis shows that Locke's moral vision is a serious contribution to the liberal tradition, which gives us an insight into another, non- Kantian liberalism After explaining the methodological nature of the thesis in the Introduction, I illustrate the development of Locke's early thought in chapters two and three. This reveals some theoretical problems imposed upon the intellectual effort of the mature Locke. The following three chapters deal with Locke's magnum opus, Essay concerning Human Understanding', they show that despite his failure to construct a demonstrative science of morality, Locke achieved a moral vision in his philosophical enterprise which has more enduring value than the moral science. Chapter seven interprets Locke's political argument from the standpoint of this moral vision. It sheds new light on Locke's political individualism (his theory of property, social contract, civil government, public good, political obligation, and revolution), and reveals some aspects of the nature of liberal politics. Chapter eight directly deals with Locke's concept of the self. It elucidates two distinct elements in his argument for the self (which are, in abstraction, mutually antagonistic), and explains how this duality of the concept of the self is secured in Locke's moral vision without difficulty. The conclusion summarises the main arguments presented in the thesis and suggests how we are to develop the insights we discovered in Locke's moral vision. 2 Table of Contents Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................. 6 Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 9 1) THE NATURE OF LIBERALISM................................................................................................. 10 Liberalism as a Contested Concept...................................................................................... 10 In search of an Approach ..................................................................................................... 12 The Problem of Liberalism.................................................................................................. 15 2) A BRIEF REVIEW OF LITERATURE.......................................................................................... 17 Philosophical Interpretations ............................................................................................... 18 Historical Interpretations.........................................................................................................20 3) A REFLECTION ON METHODS...................................................................................................26 Method and Practice ............................................................................................................... 27 Fusion of Horizons ................................................................................................................. 30 The Design of This Thesis.......................................................................................................32 Chapter 2 Divorced Vision of M orality ...................................................................... 35 1) POLITICS AND RELIGION...........................................................................................................35 Calvinistic Ambiguity.............................................................................................................36 The Great Question................................................................................................................. 37 2) THE INWARD AND OUTWARD PARTS OF HUMANITY......................................................39 Divine Worship....................................................................................................................... 39 Christian Liberty..................................................................................................................... 40 Liberty and Perfection.............................................................................................................43 3) SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF THE MULTITUDE........................................................................45 Religious Enthusiasm.............................................................................................................46 Passion and Persuasion...........................................................................................................48 4) POLITICS OF PURE ABSOLUTISM .............................................................................................52 Indifferent Matter ................................................................................................................... 52 A Theory of Law..................................................................................................................... 53 A Theory of Government .......................................................................................................57 Tyranny and Anarchy............................................................................................................. 58 Chapter 3 Integrity of Moral V ision ........................................................................... 65 1) NATURE AND CONVENTION.....................................................................................................65 From Politics to Ethics ........................................................................................................... 65 Voluntarism vs Intellectualism...............................................................................................68 Nature and Convention........................................................................................................... 72 2) GOD AND NATURE....................................................................................................................... 76 Voluntarism or Intellectualism? .............................................................................................76 Absolute Power and Ordained Power ...................................................................................79 The Reason of Obedience.......................................................................................................83 3) THE LIGHT OF NATURE............................................................................................................... 87 The Origins of Knowledge .....................................................................................................87 Demonstration of Natural L aw ...................................................................................... 91 3 Locke's Vision of Morality 92 Chapter 4 Pursuit of Morality I ............................................................................... 96 1) THE DESIGN OF ARGUMENT.....................................................................................................97 What is the Essay? .................................................................................................................97 Continuities of Argument.......................................................................................................99 Ethics and Method.............................................................................................................. 101 2) MORALITY AND METHOD .................................................................................................... 103 Two Methods Contested.................................................................................................... 103 Innate Practical Principles.................................................................................................. 107 Method for Modem Society .............................................................................................. 110 The Image of Moral L ife.................................................................................................... 118 Chapter