What is it about?
Offers a new interpretation of human equality in John Locke's political writings. Addresses tension between equality as granting universal human dignity, and equality among members of a social contract, which is inherently exclusionary to everyone outside of the contract. Argues that for Locke political rights flow from "law-abiding equality," but not basic equality.
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Why is it important?
Scholars strongly disagree over the nature of human equality in Locke's political thought. This article aims at overcoming this debate by offering an interpretation that has not yet been seriously considered. The outcome of this debate has implications for how we view the relationship between democracy and liberalism.
Perspectives
The fight over the meaning of equality is perhaps the central political debate of our time. This article jumps right in the middle of this debate with a very important perspective from early modernity, which I believe is truer to Locke's original thinking than the other interpretations previously considered.
Dr. Bruce A Hunt Jr
Angelo State University
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This page is a summary of: Locke on Equality, Political Research Quarterly, July 2016, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1065912916652239.
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