Description

17th Century philosopher John Locke is one of the most important, and first, proponents of freedom of religion and belief.  He not only justified this value in terms of his religion, Christianity, but also argued it was irrational.  This made it a secular value.  Unfortunately, Locke wasn’t very tolerant himself, especially of Catholics and atheists.

Discussion Questions

• What was Locke’s religious reasoning for toleration?  What was his secular reasoning?
• How are the two types of reasoning different?
• Are there other reasons for why tolerance is an important value?  Any downsides?

Keywords: Locke, toleration, tolerance, freedom, religious, rights, political, philosophy, ethics, secularism, religion,