The Early Reception of John LockeWord格式.docx
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The Early Reception of John LockeWord格式.docx
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Principlesof1688"
1and,asDavidHumeindicated,theyprovidedtheWhigpartyofthemid-eighteenthcenturywithits?
philosophicalorspeculativesystemofprinciples.?
2Yettheimmediatereactiontotheworksisratherstartlingtothetwentiethcenturyobserver.Theyreceivednocriticalresponsesuntil17O3,3anditwasnotuntil1705thatanyextensiveattemptwasmadetorefuteLocke?
sarguments.4
Locke?
sworkdidnotimmediatelybecometheprincipalauthorityoftheWhigs.Infact,Lockedidnotintroduceanystrikinglynewideasintopoliticaldebate.ThecentralframeworkoftheTreatises?
argumentswasalreadytobefoundinJamesTyrrell?
sPatriarchaNonMonarcha(London,1680),AlgernonSidney?
sDiscoursesConcerningGovernment(London,1698,butwrittenpriorto1683)andSamuelPufendorf?
sDelureNaturaeetGentium(Lund,1672)andDeOfficioHominisdeCivis(Lund,1673).5Itwasmoretotheseauthorities,andnotLocke,thatappealsweremade.Thompsonrelatesthat?
LockewassofarfromoccupyingthefrontplaceamongWhigauthoritiesthatBenjaminHoadlycouldwriteaworksubstantiallysimilartoLocke?
s?
TheOriginalandInstitutionofCivilGovernment,discuss?
d(London,1710)?
andbecommendedbytheHouseofCommonsforit,withonlyonereferencetotheTwoTreatises.?
6
ThisnotablelackofimmediateresponsetotheTwoTreatisesseemstoindicatethathindsighthaselevatedthemodernviewofLocke?
simportanceasapoliticalwriterduringthelateseventeenthandearlyeighteenthcenturies.Onehistorian,JohnDunn,hasnotedthisinflationofthemodernsenseofLocke?
ssignificanceandassertsthatLocke?
shistoricrolehasbeenexaggerated.7HoweveranexaminationofWhigpartyliteraturerevealsasomewhatmorefamiliarpictureofLocke?
sinfluence.ThatLocke?
sworkdidnotpassunnoticedfromthepublicisevidencedfromanumberofsources.ItwasapparentlytheobjectofrespectandconjectureamongsomecirclesofgenteelsocietyinbothOxfordandLondoninAugust1690.8AWhigpamphletentitledPoliticalAphorisms9summarizedandquotedextensively,thoughwithoutacknowledgement,fromtheTwoTreatises;
WilliamAtwood,aprominentWhigpamphleteer,adoptedsomeofLocke?
sargumentsinhisFundamentalConstitutionoftheEnglishGovernmentandreferredtotheworksas?
thebestTreatisesofCivilPolityIhavemetwithintheEnglishTongue.?
10
ARGUMENTOnepossibleexplanationforLocke?
srelativeinsignificanceinthe1690sisthattheTreatiseswerewritteninthesametraditionandwithsimilarthemesastheworksoftwomenthenofoutstandingcontemporaryreputation:
SamuelPufendorfandAlgernonSidney.11Pufendorf?
sworkwasrespectedthroughoutEurope,whileSidneywasthoughttobeagreatmartyrforEnglishliberty.Thelatter?
sreputationinitiallydependedmoreonthecircumstancesofhisdeaththanonanythinghewrote.12Furthermore,theauthoroftheTwoTreatiseswasnotwellknownuntilhisdeathin1704.TheTreatises?
anonymitymayhaveadverselyaffectedtheattentionandauthoritypaidtothemfortheresponsetosomeofhisearlierworks,especiallyhisEssayConcerningHumanUnderstanding,indicatesLockewaswellrespectedasbothaphilosopherandawriter.
AmoresubstantialexplanationlieswithintheargumentoftheTwoTreatisesthemselves.TheTwoTreatiseswerenotinitiallycraftedtoservethepurposeLockeintendedwhenpublishingthem?
thejustificationoftheGloriousRevolution.AnobviousreasonforthisliesinthefactthattheTreatiseswerewrittenbefore1688.ItisgenerallyagreedbyhistoriansthattheTwoTreatiseswerenotwrittentodefendtheRevolutionof1688butwerealreadyinexistencewhenLockefledtoHollandin1683.LockebegantheFirstTreatiseshortlyafterpurchasingacopyofRobertFilmer?
sPatriarchaonJanuary22,1680.TheexactdateonwhichLockebegantheSecondTreatiseisstilldisputed,butmostLockeanscholarsagreethatthegreaterpartoftheworkwascompletedbetween1679-83.13
Furthermore,becauseLockehadattemptedtousehisTreatises,writtenpriortothe1688Revolution,tojustifythatrevolution,manyviewedLocke?
sphilosophicaljustificationoftherevolutionasoverreachingitself.Whatitgainedinscopeandgrandeuritlostinprecisionandapplicationtoalloftherelevantdetailspertainingtotheactualsituation.Apreferenceforanhistoricalandlegaljustificationfortherevolution,asopposedtoonethatisphilosophical,isclearlyfoundinWilliamAtwood?
squalifiedpraiseoftheTwoTreatisesinhisowndefenseoftheactivitiesof1688.AtwoodmaintainedthattheTwoTreatiseswereunacceptableasajustificationoftheRevolutioneventhoughtheycontainedthebestexampleof?
CivilPolity?
writteninEnglish.HeheldthatiftheargumentsoftheTreatiseswereadopted,theAncientConstitutionwouldbeatriskbecausethepeoplewouldhavethefreedomtoalterthatbodyoflawastheysawfit.AlthoughtheargumentoftheSecondTreatisewas?
designedlyadaptedtowhathe[theauthor]takesourGovernmenttobe,rhonotexpresslynamed,?
theRevolutionrequiredamorelegalisticvalidation.14
TheConventionParliamentof1688-89,establishedafterJamesIIhadfledtoFrance,alsoconsideredLocke?
sargumentsintheSecondTreatisetobeunacceptableinexplainingtheRevolutionof1688.Thebeliefthatresistancetoconstitutionalauthoritiesmightbejustifiableorevenamoralobligationifthoseauthoritiestrespasseduponanindividual?
snaturalrightswasdiscountedinthedebatesabouttheplaceof?
abdication?
and?
vacancy?
inEnglishconstitutionallaw.VeteranlawyerJohnMaynardatonepointinterruptedthecomplicatedlegaldisputesandsuggestedthatperhapstheattempttoreconciletheremovalofJamesIIwiththestrictrequirementsoflawwasmisguided.
Ifwelookintothelawofnature(thatisaboveallhumanlaws)wehaveenoughtojustifyusinwhatwearedoing,
toprovideforourselvesandthepublickwealinsuchanexigencyasthis.15
Buthisvoicewasignored,andthedebatecontinued.
TheargumentoftheSecondTreatisewasnotfelttobesufficientbyLocke?
scontemporariestojustifytheGloriousRevolution.TheFirstTreatise,howeverwasfarlesspolemicaleventhoughitwasincomplete.16ItwasfromthistreatisethatJamesTyrrellhadquotedmostextensivelywhencompilinghisBibliothecaPolitica.AccordingtoWilliamAtwood,itwasthebrilliantexposureofthe?
falsePrinciplesandFoundationofSirRobertFilmerandhisAdmirers?
thataccountedfortheTreatisesgainingreputation.17
SixtyyearsaftertheGloriousRevolution,DavidHumepublishedanessaythatbemoanedthefactthat?
noparty,inthepresentage,canwellsupportitself,withoutaphilosophicalorspeculativesystemofprinciples."
18HumeexplainedthattheWhigsfoundedthenotionof?
governmentaltogetherontheconsentofthepeople,?
andheattributedthebirthofpoliticalpartiesbaseduponabstractprinciplesandnotreligiousbeliefsto?
philosophers,whohaveembracedaparty(ifthatbenotacontradictioninterms).?
ForHumeandmanylaterscholars,?
themostnoted?
oftheWhigdoctrine?
sphilosophical?
partizans?
wasJohnLocke.19ManysawtheworkofJohnLockeasprovidingthephilosophicalfoundationtotheWhigparty;
however,manymembersofhispartydidnotagreewithhisjustificationoftheRevolutionof1688.
ManyWhigspreferredadefensethatrestednotuponanappealtonaturallaw,naturalrights,andthedissolutionofgovernment.Instead,WhigsdesiredajustificationthatappealedtotheconstitutionalrightsofEnglishmenandrestrictedthelimitsofconstitutionalchangetothe?
restoration?
oftheAncientConstitution.20OnemustunderstandtheinitialreactiontotheTwoTreatisesasareactiontotwoseparatedocuments.LockeprovidedaphilosophicalfoundationfortheWhigpartywiththeFirstTreatise,andheextendedhisphilosophicalideasintheSecondTreatise,itspurposebecomingabroadjustificationfortheGloriousRevolution.Duringtheyearsclosesttothe1688,theissuessurroundingtheRevolutiontookprecedenceoverphilosophicalnotionsofrights.However,asthelegalargumentslosttheirurgency,disputesabouttheabdicationofJamesIIfocusedlessonthespecificcircumstancesoftheRevolutionandmoreontheprincipleswhichitsupposedlyembodied.
THEGLORIOUSREVOLUTIONOF1688
ThestoryoftheGloriousRevolutionbeginswiththeaccessionofJamesIItotheBritishthronein1685.James,anadvocateofRomanCatholicismandpoliticalreformcametoruleapublicwhowouldtolerateneither.Hisaccessionhadbeendreadedbyallbutthenation?
stinyCatholicminority.RumorsthatJameshadpoisonedhisbrother,CharlesII,werewidespread,andtheprosecutionofTitusOates21forlibelgavemorecredencetotalesofaCatholicconspiracytoseizecontrolofthegovernment.JamesbecametheheadoftheAnglicanChurch,whichpreachedpassiveobedienceandnon-resistance;
theAnglicanestablishmentnecessarilysupportedhim.HewastheheadofastatethathadvigorouslypersecuteddissentersandWhigsandhadreducedtheiractivesupporttoa
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