The Political Thought of John Locke: An Historical Account of the Argument of the 'Two Treatises of Government' (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 345 These, then, are the main findings of Descartes' Frage nach der Existenz der Welt. They are supported by a detailed, scholarly analysis which focuses on four central issues in the Meditations: methodic doubt and the so-called "Cartesian circle," the cogito, Descartes' analysis of consciousness and its contents, and the existence of an external world. Seven supplementary notes to the various chapters and four appendices (all of which total some 60 pages) develop historical and systematic sidelights in an informed and instructive way. Indeed, these excursions, representing as they do the richness of Halbfasz' scholarship and the elements of the larger book he had originally proposed, are among the most valuable sections of the book. Throughout, however, the author is faithful to his disclaimer in the preface. He did not aspire to present a new interpretation of Descartes and he does not claim to have discovered anything completely new. His only ambition is to clarify and to throw further light on that which is already known about Descartes. Those who are attracted to the theme of solipsism or who are specialists in the thought of Descartes and are interested in a view which challenges the comprehensiveness of Gu~roult's systematic interpretation will be rewarded by Halbfasz' work. Less technical students may find their needs to be adequately satisfied elsewhere. CH~LF.S A. CORR Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville The Political Thought of John Locke: An Historical Account of the Argument of the 'Two Treatises of Government'. By John Dunn. (Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1969. Pp. xiii+290. $10.) This book is presented as "an attempt at an extended archaeological excavation of Locke's mind" (p. ix). The author's aim is not to criticize the arguments of the Treatises, in terms of the consistency of their logical structure or the degree of their empirical confirmation. It is instead to place Locke's political doctrines within the context of his religious and moral doctrines, as the latter are set forth in the Treatises, in the rest of his published works, in letters, and in unpublished manuscripts. Part One, after an introductory chapter, discusses Locke's treatment of political themes in works written before the Treatises. Dunn's account stresses the theological basis of these arguments and emphasizes their continuity with Locke's later views. Part Two defends, with qualifications, Laslett's views on the historical events that occasioned Locke's writing his Treatises (the Exclusion Crisis rather than the Glorious Revolution) and on the theorist against whom he wrote (Filmer rather than Hobbes). Part Three, which constitutes almost one third of the book, examines the argument of the Second Treatise. The first three chapters deal with the premises of the argument, the state of nature, and the creation of legitimate polities. The second three deal with prerogative, reason of state, and conditions for legitimate resistance. The last deals with the law of nature. Dunn's discussion stresses the extent to which Locke derives his political doctrines from theological premises and the extent to which he limits exercise of legal rights by constraints of religious duties. A central object of attack is the thesis, imputed to Strauss and Cox, that Locke bases his moral and political theories wholly upon the prudent pursuit of self-interest. In Part Four, challenging Macpherson's portrait of Locke as an apologist for capitalist accumulation, Dunn argues that the Puritan doctrine of the calling is the key to the latter's moral and political philosophy. In Part Five, continuing to develop his own interpretation by crkicizing 346 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY Macpherson's, Dunn reaches the conclusion of his investigation. Locke's political theory "is to be seen as the elaboration of Calvinist social values, in the absence of a terrestrial focus of theological authority and in response to a series of particular challenges" (p. 259). What challenges7 Apparently the writings of Filmer, the Exclusion Crisis, and the Glorious Revolution. Definitely not the writings of Hobbes or the progress of capitalist accumulation. Considered as a whole, the book is built around two complementary themes. The first is Dunn's attack upon Macpherson for presenting an oversimplified account of Locke's attitudes toward contemporary social...