Locke, Aristotle and Aquinas

Locke, Aristotle and Aquinas

In the tomes of history, many philosophers have outlined their visions of a perfect society. Until recently however, few have ventured into the waters of religious tolerance. One such philosopher was John Locke. Writing in the late 17th century, Locke advocated a complete separation between church and state. He argued for an unprecedented tolerance of people of all faiths. Although Locke's views became widely popular throughout Europe and the Americas, they did not meet with unanimous approval. Many earlier philosophers disagreed with Locke. Two such philosophers were Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas disagreed in three key respects: Compulsion, toleration, and authority. Aristotle, on the other hand, disagreed on a more fundamental issue: the goal of politics itself. This essay aims to elucidate Locke's arguments, and then explicate Aristotle and Aquinas' would-be objections to Locke's A Letter Concerning Toleration.

In A Letter Concerning Toleration, Locke discusses the issue of civil tolerance. His main premise is that society is constituted merely for the procuring, preserving, and advancing of civil interests. He defines civil interest as:

Life, Liberty, Health, and Indolency of Boy; and the Possession of outward things, such as Money, Lands, Houses, Furniture, and the like.1

Having explained civil interests in terms of material possessions, Locke argues that the only concern of the Magistracy should be the violation of these civil interests. The Magistracy is to enforce these rights through punishment, or by threatening the deprivation of the aforesaid rights. But since no individual would voluntarily forfeit these freedoms, the Magist...

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...ed States of America; 1983

Baumgarth, William P and Richard J Regan [eds]. Aquinas, Saint Thomas. On Law, Morality, and Politics. Hackett Publishing Company, United States of America; 1988

Notes

1 Tully, James H.[ed] Locke, John. A Letter Concerning Toleration. P. 26

2 Ibid. P. 27

3 An obvious referral to the Arab Muslims, whom Europeans deemed as "heathens" and "infidels." This term generally considered offensive, by most Muslims.

4 Baumgarth, William P and Richard J Regan [eds]. Aquinas, Saint Thomas. On Law, Morality, and

Politics. P. 250

5 Ibid. P. 250 (with emphasis added)

6 Ibid. P. 251

7 Ibid. P. 255 (emphasis added)

8 Tully, James H.[ed] Locke, John. A Letter Concerning Toleration. P. 46

9 Ibid. P. 47

10 Lord, Carnes [trans.] Aristotle, The Politics. P. 99

11 Ibid. P. 98