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The "politick personality" Edmund Burke's Political Ideas and the Lockean Inheritance By Ofir Zvulun Haivry under the supervision of Professor Frederick Rosen as partial fulfillment of requirements for the PhD degree University College London 2005 UMI Number: U593074 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 U593074 Published by ProQuest LLC 2013. 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 Abstract This thesis seeks to describe aspects of Edmund Burke's political ideas, and to show that these ideas were presented as an alternative to the political ideas of John Locke. The dissertation is composed of two parts: the first outlines the historical context in which Burke's political ideas were set; the second studies Burke's own political concepts in opposition to those of Locke. The first part of the dissertation is a detailed review and study of a large number of political writings from Burke's time, particularly (but not solely) from the decade after the outbreak of the revolution in France. This study presents the intellectual context of Burke's ideas, and shows these to have been widely perceived by contemporaries (both those opposing and supporting his views) as set against John Locke's political ideas. The second part of the dissertation looks at Burke's own work. It charts all of Burke's known references to Locke or his works, and shows that all of those which relate to the latter's political ideas, were critical. It demonstrates that on top of various scattered cases, at least twice, in an important draft composed in 1782 and in a weighty memorandum of 1793, Burke decidedly and comprehensively challenged Locke's fundamental political principles, and pronounced them to be deficient and dangerous. It points out that Burke identified the source for the danger posed to political systems by Lockean ideas in their introduction of narrow judicial reasoning into political considerations. It proceeds to present the central themes of Burke's political theory, showing these to contrast (sometimes explicitly so) with Lockean ideas. It concludes with a study of Burke's idea of political sovereignty. 2 Table of Contents Abstract p. 2 On annotations, quotes and short titles p. 4 Introduction p. 8 Part I - Burke and the Lockean inheritance in historical context p. 16 1. Overview - the writers and their writings p. 16 2. Debating Locke - the perception of Locke's ideas in the 1790s p. 43 3. Debating Burke - the perception Burke's ideas in the 1790s p. 94 Part II - Edmund Burke's political ideas p. 105 1. The "bane of the whiggs" - Burke on Locke and his ideas p. 105 2. The "politick personality" - Burke's political ideas p. 153 3. The "idea of continuity" - Burke's idea of sovereignty p. 202 Conclusion p. 245 Bibliography p. 250 3 On annotations, quotes and short titles The method for annotations and quotes: For modem texts, the full details are provided in the footnotes at the time of first appearance; subsequently, a shortened version appears, consisting of the surname of the author and one or more words from the title. For pre-20* century texts, the same principles apply, with the following exceptions: in cases of famous works or of very long titles, only the first sentence appears; when the author's name did not appear on the original work or is only presumed, it is put within square brackets; if the author is unknown he is termed Anonymous within square brackets. The edition of all texts is the first, unless otherwise stated. The place of publication for all texts is London, unless otherwise stated. In quotes all italic or bold lettering, all punctuation, spelling and capitals, are as in the original. Additions are explicitly noted by the use of square brackets. Quotes and references to Locke's Two treatises are by section (appearing as sec.) instead of page. The m odem edition used for this text is the one edited by P. Laslett, for the "Cambridge texts in the history of political thought" series (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1988). The short titles for frequently mentioned works: COR - T.W. Copeland (general editor), The correspondence of Edmund Burke (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1967-1978), 10 volumes. CST - W. Cobbett and T.J. Howell (editors),Complete collection of state trials and proceedings for high treason and other crimes and misdemeanors from the earliest period to the present time(1809-1828), 33 volumes. 4 OED - J.A. Simpson and E.S.C. Weiner (eds.), The Oxford English dictionary - second edition (Oxford, Clarendon, 1998), 20 volumes. PH - W. Cobbett and J. Wright (eds.), The parliamentary history of England, from the earliest period to the year 1803. From which last-mentioned epoch it is continued downwards in the work entitled, "The parliamentary debates" (1806-1820), 36 volumes. PW - G. Claeys (ed.), Political writings of the 1790s (William Pickering, 1995), 8 volumes. ST - John Locke, "The second treatise of government, an essay concerning the true original, extent, and end of civil government" inTwo treatises of government (1690). WS - P. Langford (general editor) The writings and speeches of Edmund Burke (Oxford, Clarendon, 1981-), 10 volumes (vols. IV and X yet to appear). The short titles for texts by Edmund Burke: Abridgment - "An essay towards an abridgment of the English history" (c. 1757) WS vol. I pp. 332-552. Address - "Address to the King" (1777) WS vol. HI pp. 258-276. Appeal - "An appeal from the new to the old Whigs" (1791) in William King and French Laurence (eds.), The works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke (1792-1827) vol. VI pp. 73-267. Assembly - "Letter to a member of the National Assembly" (1791) WS vol. Vin pp. 294-335. Conciliation - "Speech on conciliation with America" (1775) WS vol. Ill pp. 102-169. Discontents - "Thoughts on the cause of the present discontents" (1770) WS vol. II pp. 241-323. Duration - "Speech on a bill for shortening the duration of parliaments" (1780) WS vol. m pp. 588-602. 5 Education "On- education" (c. 1776) WS vol. Ill pp. 242-246. Elliot - "Letter to William Elliot" (1795) WS vol. IX pp. 29-45. Eitzwilliam - "Letter to the Earl Fitzwilliam" (1795) [a.k.a. "Fourth letter on a regicide peace"] WS vol. IX pp. 44-119. Impeachment - "Speech on opening of impeachment" [of Warren Hastings] (section of 16 February 1788) WS vol. VI pp. 313-373. Langrishe - "Letter to Sir Hercules Langrishe" (1792) WS vol. IX pp. 594-639. Noble - "Letter to a noble Lord" (1796) WS vol. IX pp. 145-186. Observations - "Observations on the conduct of the minority" (1793) WS vol. VIII pp. 402-452. Popery - "Tracts relating to the Popery laws" (1765) WS vol. IX pp. 434-481. Quebec - "Speeches on the Quebec government bill" (1791) inThe speeches of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke(1816) Vol. IV pp. 1-38. Reflections - "Reflections on the revolution in France" (1790) in C.C. O'Brien (ed.), Edmund Burke, Reflections on the revolution in (Penguin, France 1986). Regicide I - "First letter on a regicide peace" (1796) WS vol. IX pp. 187-264. Regicide II - "Second letter on a regicide peace" (1796) WS vol. IX, pp. 264- 296. Regicide III - "Third letter on a regicide peace" (1797) WS vol. IX pp. 296-386. Religious - "Speech on a motion for leave to bring in a bill to repeal and alter certain acts respecting religious opinions" (1792) in William King and French Laurence (eds.), The works of the Right Honourable Edmund (1792-1827) Burke vol.