Locke (Oneworld Thinkers)

What is natural law? Before reading this book I might have given you a Lockean answer like, "Our right comes from God and not the government" or, if we had the time, I might have uttered a more developed Christian-Aristotelean answer provided by Thomas Aquinas. The problem is, these answers aren't interchangeable. They aren't even compatible because Locke was writing in opposition to the Scholasticism of Thomas Aquinas.Natural law forms only a part of this book but if natural law is of interest to you, then you have to know Locke, and if you want to know Locke, then you must know Aquinas to know what Locke was reacting against (not to mention Hobbes).Edward Feser is a philosophy professor, but he's an exceptionally clear writer. He does not use shortcuts by relying on the arcana of philosophy professors that makes so much of their writing unreadable. C.S. Lewis once told a group of theology students at a seminary that they should hand their final papers over to enlisted personnel in the Royal Air Force, and if those guys couldn't understand what they were reading, then that would indicate that the students don't understand their topic that well either and they should keep rewriting until the RAF guys could understand it. I won't go so far as to say that Edward Feser could pass that stringent test, but if you don't mind contemplative reads, you'll find this smooth sailing.

Not finished yet. But I am 68 yrs. Old now and find it just as stimulating as I did 50 years ago. I hope to continue my review of the contemplative thought of my past readings. I am interested in learning how my perception has developed throughout life. Does the idealist blend common sense with knew and old philosophy? It has to be fun to look into.

Insightful book on one of the seminal & most influential thinkers in Anglo-American political philosophy... well written, engaging, and makes Locke conversant with older philosophical perspectives (Thomism, in particular). Highly recommended!

Feser, once again, provides a clear, detailed, and readable explanation of one of the world's most influential and often misunderstood philosophers. Even as a lifelong student of philosophy, Feser never fails to enlighten me with new and clear insights.

great book, especially for those of us who don't have time to read Locke in the original. That is to say, it's great for those who want to be familiar with Locke's philosophy and influence (as every American should be).

Great book for the student of philosophy.

Bought for class. As described.

In this book, philosophy professor and Catholic Ed Feser discusses the ideas of John Locke. One of Feser's main points is that much of our "modern American" way of thinking, especially when it comes to political ideas and man's relationship to government, is heavily influenced by Locke. Feser traces these ideas back to Locke by placing them in their historical context. In part, we see that most of Locke's philosophy is simply a reaction against the popular and influential scholasticism of his time. As has been one of Feser's theses for some time now, Feser claims (and I believe shows) that Locke's philosophy was mostly inspired by a desire to free himself from scholastic language and ideas. In other words, there seems to be no good reason for Locke to have rejected the scholastic worldview in favor of the "modern" wordview he adopted other than a simple bias. This is a strong point which people defending Aristotelian-Thomistic metaphysics need to be aware of. In addition to comparing Locke's view with the (correct) A-T picture of the world, Feser carefully scrutinizes much of Locke's writings. Locke is notorious for being unreadable, but Feser does a good job of bringing out Locke's ideas. Feser is also quite fair and balanced towards Locke, offering not only points of disagreement, but point of agreement as well. Feser reads Locke charitably, and does not assume without careful analysis that Locke contradicts himself.This is a very good book to introduce the philosophy and thought of Locke, an otherwise difficult to understand philosopher. While Feser certainly comes at this from a Catholic and in particular scholastic point of view, he is fair and balanced, and he does not simply name-call or bash Locke for bringing about all the problems of modern society. The book is short and easy to read.

A clear and concise discussion of some of the main ideas developed by Locke, placed in the context of the Scholasticism and Rationalism against which he was arguing. An excellent book, thoroughly recommended.

Wish they were still printing it on paper.

I would advise caution where enthusiastic reviews of this book are concerned. It became increasingly apparent to me as I read it that this was a demolition job on behalf of Medieval Christianity! One expects weaknesses in philosopher's arguments to be pointed out, but here the arguments appear to be presented in order to be dismissed. Disappointed, I've ordered Locke on Human Understanding by E.J.Lowe in the hope of a fairer reading.