Customer Reviews

Locke: His Philosophical Thought

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Nicholas Jolley has produced a great resource for students first encountering Locke or for those who are familiar with Locke but would like to get more into the details of his philosophical views. This book is intended as an introduction to his thought and is directed at advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students. It gives enough details to begin work on any of the diverse topics covered in it, with references to direct the reader elsewhere for further discussion. Unlike most books on Locke by philosophers, this one also includes his political theory and shows its relation to Locke's other views by tying together threads of his thought from one topic to the next. I thoroughly enjoyed working through it in a graduate seminar taught by the author, but I can see that it would be quite valuable just as a resource or as an accompaniment to someone's trying to approach Locke's thought in detail but without much background.

I neglected to mention one thing about this book. Jolley sees himself not just as a student of what Locke said but as if he is in philosophical interaction with Locke and his critics. He presents many common criticisms of Locke and responds to them. He also leaves Locke stranded in places where he really seems to have gotten himself into trouble. This book does a great job not just approaching the issues but also in trying to clarify them in the terms of contemporary philosophers and in defending Locke against the all-too-quick criticisms he often receives.