Locke: 14 (Blackwell Great Minds) - Softcover

Rickless, Samuel C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1405189363 ISBN 13: 9781405189361

Publisher: *Wiley-Blackwell, 2014

Synopsis

In a focused assessment of one of the founding members of the liberal tradition in philosophy and a self-proclaimed “Under-Labourer” working to support the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century, the author maps the full range of John Locke’s highly influential ideas, which even today remain at the heart of debates about the nature of reality and our knowledge of it, as well as our moral and political rights and duties.

• Comprehensive introduction to the full range of Locke’s ideas, providing an up-to-date account that acknowledges issues raised by recent scholarship over the past decade
• A well-rounded perspective on one of the intellectual giants of the western philosophical tradition
• Provides detailed coverage of Locke’s two key works, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and The Two Treatises of Government.
• A sophisticated analysis by a highly respected academic
• A vital addition to the Blackwell Great Minds series

About this title

About the Author

Samuel C. Rickless is Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, San Diego, USA. He earned his Ph.D. in 1996 from the University of California, Los Angeles, before beginning his teaching career at Florida State University. The author of two books, Plato’s Forms in Transition: A Reading of the Parmenides (2007), and Berkeley’s Argument for Idealism (2013), Professor Rickless has published numerous scholarly articles on a variety of topics in the history of philosophy, writing on key figures including Plato, Descartes, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant, in addition to Locke. His research interests include normative ethics, constitutional law, and the philosophy of language.

From the Back Cover

This latest addition to the Blackwell Great Minds series outlines the fundamental principles of Locke’s highly influential contributions to philosophy, paying special attention to his two major works, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and The Two Treatises of Government. Its aim is to give readers a solid understanding of one of the giants of western thought, who, with Descartes, set the terms of philosophical debate that remain live to this day, and whose refutation of divinely sanctioned patriarchal rule made him the most illustrious proponent of civil and political self-determination.

This concise assessment of Locke’s philosophy discusses his opposition to innate ideas and principles; his positive theory of simple and complex ideas; his metaphysics of material substance, primary, and secondary qualities; and his notions of personal identity. It explains his views on free will and his theory of knowledge and belief, particularly as applied to the concept of skepticism about the external world and matters of religion. The author’s authoritative treatment also covers Locke’s ideas about morality and political philosophy, paying special attention to property, the social contract, and toleration.

From the Inside Flap

This latest addition to the Blackwell Great Minds series outlines the fundamental principles of Locke’s highly influential contributions to philosophy, paying special attention to his two major works, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and The Two Treatises of Government. Its aim is to give readers a solid understanding of one of the giants of western thought, who, with Descartes, set the terms of philosophical debate that remain live to this day, and whose refutation of divinely sanctioned patriarchal rule made him the most illustrious proponent of civil and political self-determination.

This concise assessment of Locke’s philosophy discusses his opposition to innate ideas and principles; his positive theory of simple and complex ideas; his metaphysics of material substance, primary, and secondary qualities; and his notions of personal identity. It explains his views on free will and his theory of knowledge and belief, particularly as applied to the concept of skepticism about the external world and matters of religion. The author’s authoritative treatment also covers Locke’s ideas about morality and political philosophy, paying special attention to property, the social contract, and toleration.

Edition details

• Publisher: *Wiley-Blackwell
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1405189363
• ISBN 13: 9781405189361
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240