The theme of government in second treatise of government by john locke

His mother was Agnes Keene. Both parents were Puritans.

References and Further Reading 1. Ancient Greek terms, which may also have influenced philosophical thinking on toleration, include: Today, when we say that someone has a 'high tolerance for pain,' we mean that he or she is able to endure pain.

This ordinary way of thinking is useful for understanding the idea of toleration and the virtue of tolerance: It would be odd to say, for example, that someone has a high tolerance for pleasure. With this in mind, we can formulate a general definition of toleration that involves three interrelated conditions.

When an agent tolerates something: The first condition requires a negative judgment, which can be anything from disapproval to disgust. Judgment here is meant to be a broad concept that can include emotions, dispositions, tastes, and reasoned evaluations.

This negative judgment inclines the agent toward a negative action toward the thing that is perceived as being negative. This broadly Stoic conception of judgment is a common assumption in discussions of toleration.

Defenders of toleration assume that we can, to a certain extent, voluntarily control the expression of our negative reactions by opposing them with different, countervailing, judgments. Although judgments and emotions are both thought to have motivating force, they can be resisted by some other judgment, habit or virtue.

The entity toward which an agent has a negative judgment can be an event, an object, or a person, although with regard to tolerance as a moral and political disposition, the entity is usually thought to be a person.

Although we speak of tolerating pain, for example, the moral and political emphasis is on tolerating some other person, a group of people, or their activities.

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The second condition states that the agent has the power to negate the entity in question. Toleration is concerned with resisting the temptation to actively negate the thing in question.

To distinguish toleration from cowardice or weakness of will the agent must have some capacity to enact his negative judgment.

Toleration occurs when the agent could actively negate or destroy the person or object in question, but chooses not to. The word negate is used here in a broad sense that allows for a variety of negative reactions.

Negative actions can include: The continuum of negations is decidedly vague. It is not clear, for example, whether condemnation and avoidance are negations of the same sort as violent action.

Despite the vagueness of the continuum of negative activities, the focal point of the second criterion is the power to negate: The third condition states that the agent deliberately refrains from exercising his power to negate.

Tolerant agents deliberately choose not to negate those things they view negatively. The negative formulation, 'not negating,' is important because toleration is not the same thing as positive evaluation, approbation, or approval.

Tolerant restraint of the negative judgment is supposed to be free and deliberate: Good reasons for toleration are plural. Each of these provides us with a reason for thinking that it is good not to negate the thing in question. As mentioned already, there also may be other non-tolerant reasons for refraining from negation: Although there are many reasons to be tolerant, traditional discussions have emphasized respect for autonomy and pedagogical concerns.

Underlying both of these approaches is often a form of self-conscious philosophical modesty that is linked to the value of respect for autonomy. As John Stuart Mill and others have argued, individuals ought to be left to pursue their own good in their own way in part because each individual knows himself and his own needs and interests best.

This view does, however, leave us with a lingering problem as toleration can easily slip toward moral skepticism and relativism. It is important to note then that toleration is a positive value that is not based upon total moral skepticism. Proponents of toleration think that toleration is good not because they are unsure of their moral values but, rather, because toleration fits within a scheme of moral values that includes values such as autonomy, peace, cooperation, and other values that are thought to be good for human flourishing.

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Early History The spirit of tolerance is evident in Socrates' dialogical method as a component of his search for truth. Throughout the early Platonic dialogues, Socrates tolerantly allows his interlocutors to pursue the truth wherever this pursuit might lead.

And he encourages his interlocutors to offer refutations so that the truth might be revealed. Sometimes Socrates' tolerance can appear to go too far.

The Euthyrphro concludes, for example, with Socrates allowing Euthyphro to proceed in the prosecution of a questionable court case.Auto Suggestions are available once you type at least 3 letters.

Use up arrow (for mozilla firefox browser alt+up arrow) and down arrow (for mozilla firefox browser alt+down arrow) to review and enter to select. From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the SparkNotes Locke's Second Treatise on Civil Government Study Guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays.

Michigan Law Review; Handgun Prohibition and the Original Meaning of the Second Amendment, by Don B.

Kates, Jr. The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.

Toleration. The heart of tolerance is self-control. When we tolerate an activity, we resist our urge to forcefully prohibit the expression of activities that we find unpleasant.

From the outset, Locke openly declared the remarkable theme of his political theory: in order to preserve the public good, the central function of government must be the protection of private property. (2nd Treatise §3) Consider how human social life begins, in a hypothetical state of nature: Each.