this book was hard to understand. everyone thinks Mr. Zuckert is very good at being smart and at saying smart things. This is probably true, he seems very smart. But he should act less smart in his undergraduate government courses, it alienates his students. thank you

Zuckert's book covers three different topics: the philosophical meaning of the Declaration of Independence's paragraphs regarding natural rights; Jefferson's personal views on natural rights; and the interplay between Locke's natural rights philosophy, the Whig political tradition, the Pilgrim/Puritan tradition and classical republican thought in the history and philosophy of America's founders. Zuckert argues cogently that natural rights philosophy was the strongest motivating force in the founders' view. Zuckert's book presumes some knowledge, but sets forth arguments thoroughly enough for the non-expert to understand. He also writes clear prose. All in all, an excellent book for anyone interested in the history or philosophy of the American founding.

This is a profound and important work. Zuckert analyzes in depth the history and development of republican ideology, revealing much that is new and refuting much that has been assumed in the past. He identifies three distinct strains of republican thought, Protestant, Grotian, and Lockean. He conducts an in depth examination of John Milton and Hugo Grotius, with special emphasis on their similarities with Locke. In addition, he rebuts a good deal of the inane nonsense that has been passed off as ideological scholarship for the past three decades. In particular, he virtually destroys the theories of J.G.A. Pocock and his band of followes, including Gordon Wood. On a side note, he manages to rescue Bernard Bailyn from his categorization as a "Republican revisionist" by showing how much he really differs from Pocock et al. Following this, he painstakingly examines John Locke's thought. His findings are fresh and challenging. More importantly, he explains just how original he was and subsequently just why he was so important. To top it all off, he takes a look a"Cato's Letters," showing how the authors managed to synthesize Lockean liberalism with republicanism, producing one of the most brilliant works in the history of political philosophy. Despite its general brilliance, I do have some misgivings about certain aspects of the work. Although I certainly acknowledge the importance of Lockean ideas, I have to say that Lockean ideas are not necessarily found in Locke alone. One individual in particular, Algernon Sidney, expressed many Lockean ideas before Locke, and his works were widely influential throughout England and America. Beyond this and a few other quibbles, this book is virtually flawless. If one is interested in the issues at hand, this work is an absolute must.

I bought this as research material for codes of conduct. The feel of the book shows the writers background in the clergy, the book focuses more on the traditional courting behavior than on love itself. Its wonderful as a complex example of a code of conduct, but sheds little light in the direction of true relationships. Very interesting as a period piece, its seems to be more reflective of the romantic visions of the middle ages than the reality.

This is a must read if you are at all interested in medieval life. Aside from being the premiere treatise on "courtly love," there are interesting historical issues raised by this book.

For example, in the section "What persons are fit for love," Capellanus says that "Age is a bar, because after the sixtieth year in a man and the fiftieth in a woman...passion cannot develop into love..." The conventional wisdom holds that most people did not live much past 40 in those days. Evidently Capellanus ran across a few people in their 50s and 60s, in addition to his encounters with nuns. (You will have to read the book to find out more)

Andreas Capellanus, chaplain at the court of Countess Marie de Champagne, daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine, wrote this treatise on courtly love in the 12th century--ostensibly to educate a friend--and thus set a new standard for lovers. Capellanus' work may have been intended as a satirical reworking of Ovid's Ars Amatoria, or it might have been influenced by the Arabic views of love in The Dove's Neck-Ring by Ibn Hazm a Mozarabic writer of the 11th century. Whatever his intent, his work, The Art of Courtly Love, influenced the aristocracy's ideas of social relationships, and the portrayal of male-female roles in romantic literature, well into the Renaissance. In a series of conversational examples between men and women of various classes together with a list of rules of love, Capellanus draws distinctions between the relationship of marriage and the relations between true lovers. Within the context of courtly love the true lover is required to pay homage to and do the bidding of his ladylove above all else. True love according to Capellanus does not exist between husband and wife, but is a state sought by all outside of the marriage bed. He states, attributing the sentiment to "M., Countess of Champagne", that "Love cannot acknowledge any rights of his between husband and wife". This attitude is understandable in a society where marriages were contracted for position and fortune.

In one of the sets of rules for lovers set forth by Capellanus he states that "No one should be deprived of love without the very best of reasons". This would justify romantic relationships of which women were otherwise deprived. Before modern times, love was rarely a factor in choosing a spouse, and yet it is perhaps the strongest force that drives mankind. Capellanus both acknowledges and rationalizes the power love holds over men and women alike. The path to true love is never easy, and the rules of courtly love would have it that where there is love there, too, is suffering. It is by his great distress that the beloved can see how greatly the lover loves. Although love that suffers chastely and from afar is held in esteem, Capellanus also says that kisses and embraces are "indications that love is to follow" and should not be overdone if the lover is not sincere. This seems to acknowledge the human need for sexual action to follow seduction. Appropriate action with gifts and flattery is described by Capellanus in his dialogs for seducing the beloved. Care must be taken in the choice of gifts, since by the rules of courtly love exchange of valuable objects debases the relationship and lovers may only accept those "little gifts" "useful for the care of the person" or "pleasing to look at" as long as there is no "avarice" involved. This rule led to the carrying by knights of tokens or "favors"--gifts of their ladies--in tournaments throughout the Middle Ages. Seduction has four steps according to Capellanus: first should come the offer of service (or if by a lady the giving of hope to the suitor), followed by the granting of kisses and the embrace--in which a couple may even lie down together nude, having no actual sexual congress, with no blame attached. If the final fourth step is taken, yielding to sexual relations, the lover is committed and can not withdraw from the relationship with honor for any less reason than a seriously dishonorable action on the part of his or her partner. These elements of courtly love appear again and again in literature of the Middle Ages from Chaucer's "Knight's Tale" to Malory's Morte D'Arthur.

Perhaps the most interesting influence in Capellanus' life is that of Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen of England and wife to King Henry II. Eleanor was already instrumental in the production of early courtly romances, especially the Arthurian tales. Wace dedicated his "Brut" to her, Thomas of Britian wrote his "Tristram" at her instigation and Chretien de Troyes wrote his Lancelot romances from material given him by her daughter Marie. Eleanor's life reads much like one of these romances. Duchess of Aquitaine, she married Louis, the king of France, at a young age, and produced two daughters Marie and Alix. She met Henry II, six years her junior, before he became king of England and then divorced Louis, on a consanguinarity technicality, to marry him. The rumor was that she and Henry, like Lancelot and Guinevere, met secretly while she was still legally married to Louis. When Henry later tired of her she again took up regency of the Aquitaine for her son Richard, and with her daughter Marie held liberal and literary courts where troubadours sang and courtiers waited upon ladies. Together Eleanor and Marie set a standard of chivalrous manners that changed the behavior of all knighthood. As a pastime these highborn ladies held "courts of love" wherein they tested the behavior of lovers, by the standards set in Capellanus' treatise, vindicating those they found to be "true lovers" and pronouncing penances for those found lacking. If not for the influence of the strong minded Marie de Champagne and the formidable Eleanor--women who wanted more of love than the usual marriage of convenience--Capellanus might have been relegated to the obscurity of the Church's proscribed text list, and our standards of romance might be very different today.

Karl Marx is absolutely brilliant concerning his approach to peasant revolution. Such examples of his brilliance is China, Russia, Southeast Asia, and Cuba. Marx understood the importance of the proletarian's existence in the social order and food chain. In these selected writings, Marx discusses the manipulation of the proletarian by the bourgeois social class, the importance of a collectivist society, the failures of capitalism, the advantages of socialism, etc... Ultimately, Marx states that, with the exception of China, capitalism will evolve into perfect communism. He also states on page 175 10 characteristic of a capitalistic society evolving into communism: 1)abolition of land property and rent, 2)a progressive income tax, 3)abolition of all inheritance, 4)confiscation of property, 5)centralization of credit into the state, 6)centralization of communication, 7)state-owned businesses, 8)equal liability to all labor, 9)abolition of difference between town and country, and 10)free education in public schools. This book is an excellent edition to any student of political philosophy.

I'm taking anthropology in College, and Marx has been a big influence in the studies. One of the required textbooks was this one. It was great. It goes deep into socilogical culture analysis, communism, and religion.

i would recommend this book to anyone!

"The most famous and the most influential of all modern natural right teachers was John Locke." - Leo Strauss
"John Locke has been called America's philosopher, our king in the only way a philosopher has ever been king of a great nation." - Robert A Goldwin

The intent of this review is not to familiarize you with the political philosophy of John Locke, for such a task would require far more than 1,000 words and has already been done elsewhere by others far more qualified than I. This review is for those who have already decided to purchase the Second Treatise but are unaware of the difference between the Peardon (Library of Liberal Arts), Cox (Crofts Classics), and MacPherson (Hackett) editions of the text.

The Cox and MacPherson editions are strikingly similar; however, Cox has taken the liberty of modernizing the text and in the process seems to have misplaced a few words. Peardon, on the other hand, seems to have modernized so much as to have completely lost most of Locke's italicization. So, it is my recommendation to purchase the MacPherson edition. That, or go read the hand-corrected copy of the third printing which is kept in the library of Christ's College, Cambridge University. Unfortunately, the pages in the MacPherson edition are a tad thin, and highlighters seem to leak through the pages. So, if you tend to make good use of highlighers, then you should probably purchase the Cox edition because the library at Christ's College definitely will not allow you to write on their copy.

"The most famous and the most influential of all modern natural right teachers was John Locke." - Leo Strauss
"John Locke has been called America's philosopher, our king in the only way a philosopher has ever been king of a great nation." - Robert A Goldwin

The intent of this review is not to familiarize you with the political philosophy of John Locke, for such a task would require far more than 1,000 words and has already been done elsewhere by others far more qualified than I. This review is for those who have already decided to purchase the Second Treatise but are unaware of the difference between the Peardon (Library of Liberal Arts), Cox (Crofts Classics), and MacPherson (Hackett) editions of the text.

The Cox and MacPherson editions are strikingly similar; however, Cox has taken the liberty of modernizing the text and in the process seems to have misplaced a few words. Peardon, on the other hand, seems to have modernized so much as to have completely lost most of Locke's italicization. So, it is my recommendation to purchase the MacPherson edition. That, or go read the hand-corrected copy of the third printing which is kept in the library of Christ's College, Cambridge University. Unfortunately, the pages in the MacPherson edition are a tad thin, and highlighters seem to leak through the pages. So, if you tend to make good use of highlighers, then you should probably purchase the Cox edition because the library at Christ's College definitely will not allow you to write on their copy.

It is difficult to write a review of the Second Treatise of Government in that it is a book whose central ideas so permeate both British and American thought that no review can do it justice.

Any student of American history, particularly of the revolution and the formation of the Constitution, out of necessity should read this book. It is a book that the revolutionaries themselves were well acquainted with, and formed the rational basis for justifying both the Revolution and the establishment of the Constitution.

Locke is, also, suprisingly easy to read, even today. Cogent, well-formed arguments inform every page of this masterwork. This is a fascinating book that shaped history itself.

The great pulp magazines are unfamiliar territory to many people, and this Guide offers valuable data for both the serious collector, and people with general interest in the pulps. Publishing dates, number of issues, as well as an overview of the magazines and other great information makes the Guide a valuable item. While bits and pieces of this information on individual titles are available in other forms, this is the first effort to pull it all together, including data on some very unusual and obscure titles. I found the book very useful, and I'm sure other pulp enthusiasts will too.

I've been a collector of pulps for nearly forty years. I own one of the largest pulp magazine collections in the world and have written numerous books and articles about these great magazines. The pulps are a major part of American publishing that have never gotten the attention they deserved. Great authors from Dashiell Hammett to H.P. Lovecraft to Robert Bloch to Ray Bradbury all began writing in the pulps.

However, there's always been one major obstacle in collecting pulp magazines. There has never been a comprehensive guide to exactly what magazines exist. When buying pulps, you never know if you are getting one of three issues or one of a hundred. The volume numbers were deceiving as many publishers mixed them up or never used them properly. Many pulps were even dated wrong. As a collector, I went crazy for years trying to discover what pulps existed. That's all changed with this book.

For the first time ever a collector can discover exactly how many issues of Weird Tales or Black Mask or literally a thousand other magazines were published. And know the exact dates of the issues. This guide is a perfect checklist for anyone who wants to collect the pulps or wants to know when they were published. It is a book aimed at pulp fans and pulp collectors. This book was never intended to be a pulp price guide or some sort of index to the contents of pulp magazines. It does exactly what it promises and does it extremely well. It is a checklist of what pulps were published and when. That information is invaluable to anyone who is a collector, fan, or researcher involved in the pulp field.

As a collector, fan, and researcher I found this book incredibly valuable. My only complaint is that it wasn't done thirty or forty years ago. If you are interested in the pulps, this is a book you must own.

"The Adventure House Guide to the Pulps" is a seminal book for pulp magazine collectors. A three-year project reflecting a lifetime of collecting on the part of its three author/editors--Doug Ellis, John Gunnison and John Locke--this book should find a cherished spot on every collector's shelf. It lists by year and date 97 percent of all the pulp magazines ever published from October, 1896 to when they died in the mid-fifties. The book has a long introductory history that is a valuable resource in and of itself, as well as thumnail photographs of most of the magazines covered. Each issue gets a small box in which the buyer can check off the issue in his own collection--and keep track of those he still needs. The book is NOT a price guide--anybody who follows eBay knows the futility of that. Nor is it intended as a pictorial history of the field. But for a collector to see at a glance how many issues of a magazine were published, their date, the publishing company that issued them, etc., is information that's usually not readily available and is hard to come by. One thing for sure, if Lawrence Davidson and I had had this book prior to compiling "Pulp Culture" (now out of print), it would have made our task far easier. The author/editors are to be congratulated for a book that should be on every collector's--and every library's--shelf. Highly recommended. -- Frank M. Robinson, San Francisco, CA.

I think this book is good but it lacks being able to keep my attention and I have read huge books. If it kept my attention for a little bit longer than the first page I would keep reading it.

As a mystery author with my first book in initial release, I have found that reading a wide variety of works helps my writing. Locke's TWO TREASTISES is one of my favorite books of all time. Here is the book that subverted absolutism following a glorious revolution. I read it first as an undergraduate at Claremont McKenna College, and I teach it annually. Great book.

Those of us living in liberal democracies owe tremendous intellectual debt to John Locke. His "Second Treatise" in particular helped lay the foundation for a political system that emphasized "life, liberty, and property." The First Treatise is interesting to skim through, though it is in the second where the Locke is most substantive. His Theory of Private Property, which could also be construed as a theory of value, is an unmistakable revolution in political thought. It is, as Locke contends, when man applies his labor to nature that he is entitled to it. Questions about environmental ethics or indegenous rights aside, this observation, made in a still heavily ecclesiastical society, is a brilliant one. Furthermore, Locke's understanding of the formation of government is based on a hypothetical "state of nature" account. Locke's arguments are intellectually pleasing, and his social-scientific models make intuitive sense. Given that, perhaps the only weakness of the work is its failure to adequately analyze such concepts as the social contract or his theory of labor-property relations. For example, Locke fails to seriously consider what we should do with states that are clearly formed by mere force. Indeed, he doesn't adequately address the possibility that such a state could justify its existence on the grounds that "better tyranny than nothing." While Locke believes that a state that doesn't respect private property cannot last for very long, history says otherwise. Of course, in retrospect it is easier to criticize Locke in these regards, but with Machiavelli before him it was not as though these ideas were not known. There are admittedly other inconsistencies, such as his view on taxation later in the book and on who "owns" the grass his serf cuts. Interestingly enough, Locke is unwilling to expound on the distinction between property garnered for the sake of personal enjoyment (possessions) and property garnered for the sake of profit. Nevertheless, the work is a passionate defense of a liberal government, and the points are persuasively argued. As long as the reader, as Locke himself urges, keeps a skeptical attitude, this work has much to offer.

(I am reposting this review, because the email address was wrong and it did not show up on my review page.)

The puritan physician John Locke (1632-1704) is one of the greatest philosophers, and certainly the one who was the most influential on the American civilization. Locke's life and the context in which he wrote this book are presented in Ewing's introduction, however without serious philosophical considerations. Ewing still mentions Locke's willingness to defend Christianity against the intellectual attacks lead by the deists, and how much opposition Locke's The Reasonableness of Christianity received, in particular from the revivalist clergyman Jonathan Edwards, who accused him of atheism. Since Locke's book did not have any divisions nor chapters, Ewing has numbered the paragraphes and compiled an outline.

Locke first deals with the need for salvation and the content of the gospel preached by the apostles and Jesus. He then proceeds to a very lengthy analysis of the gospels (as someone said: "Locke has no mercy on the patience of his readers.") Locke defends the Christian truth with the miracles and the resurrection of Jesus, His indirect declarations of Messiahship and His fulfilment of the messianic prophecies. I was surprised to learn much from Locke's sharp analysis of the gospels, for example why Jesus did not reveal His identity directly during most of His ministry. Locke then answers some general objections (about the salvation of the unevangelized, etc.) In the last part of the book Locke points at some insufficiencies in the general divine revelation in nature (although Locke believed in the truth of such a revelation) and argues for the necessity of special revelation.

Locke's arguments may have been convincing in his time. But Locke wrote before the attacks of Hume against miracles or before the attacks of the liberal theologians based on the historical-critical method. Locke's argumentation would be incomplete for modern readers. These would be more helped by modern apologetics books. However, those interested in an analysis of Jesus' ministry may benefit from Locke's book, provided they are motivated enough to endure his lengthy style. Those interested in Locke's philosophy may benefit more from the edition by I. T. Ramsey (John Locke. The Reasonableness of Christianity. With a Discourse on Miracles and Part of A Third Letter Concerning Toleration. Introduced and edited by I. T. Ramsey. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1958.) Ramsey has brilliantly introduced and outlined the book, has abridged the text, and also introduced and edited some of Locke's arguments about miracles.

The puritan physician John Locke (1632-1704) is one of the greatest philosophers, and certainly the one who was the most influential on the American civilization. Locke's life and the context in which he wrote this book are presented in Ewing's introduction, however without serious philosophical considerations. Ewing still mentions Locke's willingness to defend Christianity against the intellectual attacks lead by the deists, and how much opposition Locke's The Reasonableness of Christianity received, in particular from the revivalist clergyman Jonathan Edwards, who accused him of atheism. Since Locke's book did not have any divisions nor chapters, Ewing has numbered the paragraphes and compiled an outline.

Locke first deals with the need for salvation and the content of the gospel preached by the apostles and Jesus. He then proceeds to a very lengthy analysis of the gospels (as someone said: "Locke has no mercy on the patience of his readers.") Locke defends the Christian truth with the miracles and the resurrection of Jesus, His indirect declarations of Messiahship and His fulfilment of the messianic prophecies. I was surprised to learn much from Locke's sharp analysis of the gospels, for example why Jesus did not reveal His identity directly during most of His ministry. Locke then answers some general objections (about the salvation of the unevangelized, etc.) In the last part of the book Locke points at some insufficiencies in the general divine revelation in nature (although Locke believed in the truth of such a revelation) and argues for the necessity of special revelation.

Locke's arguments may have been convincing in his time. But Locke wrote before the attacks of Hume against miracles or before the attacks of the liberal theologians based on the historical-critical method. Locke's argumentation would be incomplete for modern readers. These would be more helped by modern apologetics books. However, those interested in an analysis of Jesus' ministry may benefit from Locke's book, provided they are motivated enough to endure his lengthy style. Those interested in Locke's philosophy may benefit more from the edition by I. T. Ramsey (John Locke. The Reasonableness of Christianity. With a Discourse on Miracles and Part of A Third Letter Concerning Toleration. Introduced and edited by I. T. Ramsey. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1958.) Ramsey has brilliantly introduced and outlined the book, has abridged the text, and also introduced and edited some of Locke's arguments about miracles.

I am especially impressed by the innovative comments made on the Lockean theory on property by the author. While many philosophers have categorized the Lockean liberal theory as individualistic, the author has successfully enlightened us to reconsider Locke's theory. Through the critical analysis on Locke, the author concludes with two important points. First, Locke was not successful to justify private ownership by the notion of equality in the State of Nature. Secondly, based on the discovery that Locke failed to justify private property, the author put forward that the Lockean theory, though at the first glance be classified as individualist, "Locke's service as an apostle of individualism was merely part of his service as an apostle of collectivism." (p.318)

Locke presents the reader with a substantial amount of information about his views on human law and the laws of nature. It is an extremely intense, but a very interesting read. I would not have read this book, if it weren't for my political philosophy class, but I am extremely glad that I did because I now have a better understanding of our government, and more importantly of the laws of human nature.

I often ponder the meaning of life. I often consider what experiences I might accomplish over the course of my life. And I also consider those experiences I hope not to accomplish. Certainly, I wish reading Locke's essay had been on the latter list. This book is an exhibition of human wastelandism. If your hope is to become truly stupider, I suggest you read this breakthrough in stupidity and worthless Babel. And then eat the book. And then vomit the book up, and burn the book/vomit. And vow never to read another one of Locke's filth-bombs.

John Locke's 1698 "Essay Concerning Human Understanding" is one of the foundational texts of Western philosophy. It is a phenomenal enquiry into how and why people become functional individuals. Bringing into philosophy a developmental model of personal becoming, Locke drilled pre-Berkeleyan common sense into a growing capitalist nation, one which was already moving away from the absolutist model of government and viewing self in the world espoused by Thomas Hobbes in "Leviathan." While clearly building on and stepping on his predecessors, most notably Hobbes and Rene Descartes, Locke deals broadly with ideas, language, and how people come into knowledge, and sets the stage for a new phase of philosophy entering the 18th century.

Locke begins the "Essay" by rejecting and dispensing with the notion of "innate ideas," which basically says that we are born in possession of certain principles, elements of knowledge, or maxims that help us orient ourselves in the world. Through long and drawn out (one downside of Locke is his insistency on detail and repetition) examples and arguments, he attempts to prove that when we are born, we have absolutely nothing intelligence-wise, to recommend us. This is what is popularly referred to as the 'tabula rasa' theory, that when first born, our minds are like "empty cabinets" or "white sheets" of paper - which experience and experience only furnishes with our ideas about the world. His goal here is to get people to question their assumptions about the world, to ask questions and decide for themselves based on reason and experience, how best to interact with the world.

Locke says that the only two sources of all human knowledge are sensation (that information which is passively thrust upon our senses) and reflection (when we consider and think about that sense data, and about our own thoughts). From these "simple ideas," we are able to combine and recombine thoughts to form "complex ideas" and use clear and distinct language to express them to other people. This social aspect of this philosophy is something that really fascinated me about Locke. While focusing on the individual's growing base of knowledge, he is all the while trying to orient people to functioning in society. Saying that the end of all knowledge serves two purposes, viz., honouring God, and being morally responsible, Locke goes on to show how human life often works counter to these goals, with a view to correcting them.

Another of his famous formulations, one all too familiar to Americans, as part of our national idealism, is that the basic state of nature of humanity consists in the "pursuit of happiness." Compared to Hobbes, for whom the state of nature consisted in the attempt to attain greater and greater power over others, Locke's state of nature seems relatively benign - however, he goes to great lengths to show how the pursuit of happiness often leads to reckless and wanton behaviours, ultimately destructive both to self and society. The idea that we must examine our desires and discipline them to the greater good is something that many of us lose sight of, and is an element central to his system.

Briefly then, a couple of other items that might be of interest to someone thinking about picking up Locke's "Essay": His philosophy of language is one that still has currency and influence on linguistic theory all the way to Saussure and the post-structuralists; Locke's manner of addressing cultural and gender diversity is progressive, but vexed, which makes for fascinating work in trying to determine his stances toward non-white European males. Locke's constant invocation of gold in his examples can be maddening, which can only mean that there is some significance therein; and finally, his other hobby-horse, so-called "monstrous births" and their status in the human race bears heavily and still importantly on the debate over a woman's right to choose. All this and so much more awaits you - over 600 pages of Lockean goodness. Beware though, Locke is extremely repetitive and can get bogged down in what, for us to-day, may seem common sense notions. But this is quintessential reading, nonetheless, for everyone interested in the formation of the modern self.

The most important book in the History of Western Philosophy. Anyone wishing to understand the western tradition will have to grapple with this work eventually.

Its not that Locke got everything right, but he does at least point us in the right direction.