#10: A Letter Concerning Toleration John Locke pp. 45 - 49
#12: What is Enlightenment? Immanuel Kant pp. 57 - 58
(Read them in this order)
"The great questions that have troubled the country are about the
authority of the magistrates and the liberty of the people"
Though a man of immense prestige and charisma, John Winthrop did not always find governing the people of Massachusetts Bay Colony an easy task. Last week we looked at the purpose of Society, as understood by Thomas Hobbes in the first instance, and John Winthrop in the second. We also looked at what recourse remained when society, in the form of its government, failed to carry out the responsibilities allotted to it (John Locke). Today we'll continue to examine the relationship between the people and the government (magistrates, as Winthrop calls them).
We have come to understand the idea of a "contract" or "covenant," which entails mutual and reciprocal obligations on both sides. If two are on contract with each other, each has a right to expect certain things of the other. Suppose those two are the magistrate, on the one hand, and the citizens, on the other. What has the magistrate a right to expect of the citizen, and what does the citizen have a right to expect of the magistrate? This is the first consideration of Winthrop's speech. Focus your attention on his description of the nature of an elected magistrate. Does electing a person to office change the person in any fundamental way? The second consideration begins to investigate the concept "liberty," a word dear to the heart of Americans for centuries. What is liberty? Winthrop identifies two kinds: natural and civil. The distinction is similar to that Hobbes used, and you can use Hobbes' concept of a state of nature and natural right and a state of society to understand Winthrop here. Given that we are "free", what are we free to do?
Locke's essay considers some of the same issues considered by Winthrop. Locke, however, is more concerned with the limits of the magistrate's power, especially his power to enforce religious conformity among the people. You'll recognize some similarities between Locke's thinking and Milton's thinking. Locke zeroes in on the relationship between civil authority and spiritual authority, however, and the thinking he expresses can be said to give birth to the idea of a secular state, and in today's world of sectarian violence, crusades and jihads, returning to examine Locke's ideas is a good idea. To understand the depth of our indebtedness to him, take 2 minutes and read Amendment I to the United States Constitution, which you'll find on p. 77
Immanuel Kant looks at the relationship between authority and liberty from a slightly different perspective. What happens to people who rely too much on authority--any authority? How does dependence on authority curtail our "enlightenment"? Some of Milton's ideas can be found here. Look back to his description of the man who hires someone else to be his religious conscience (Section 12).
For Friday, March 29
Roger Williams observes a two day Holiday this week, and classes will not be held on either Thursday, March 25, or Friday, March 26. Our next class will be Tuesday, April 2.
Looking Ahead:
I will be distributing a take-home examination on Tuesday, March 26.
Or By Appointment
