A Letter Concerning Toleration

E57175

A Letter Concerning Toleration is a seminal 1689 work by philosopher John Locke arguing for religious freedom and the separation of church and state.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf book
philosophical work
treatise
arguesAgainst intolerance
religious persecution
state-enforced religion
arguesFor freedom of conscience
limited government
religious toleration
separation of church and state
author John Locke
century 17th century
countryOfOrigin England
field philosophy of religion
political philosophy
genre political philosophy
religious philosophy
hasKeyConcept distinction between civil interests and spiritual interests
limits of state authority
primacy of individual conscience
voluntary nature of genuine faith
historicalContext post-Glorious Revolution England
influenced Enlightenment political thought
concept of religious freedom in Western political thought
debates on church–state relations
liberal political theory
influencedBy English Civil War
Protestant Reformation
Restoration of the monarchy in England
religious conflicts in 17th-century Europe
mainSubject freedom of religion
liberalism
political philosophy
religious toleration
separation of church and state
movement classical liberalism
notableIdea civil government has no authority over the salvation of souls
coercion cannot produce genuine religious belief
originalLanguage Latin
originalTitle Epistola de tolerantia
period Enlightenment
philosophicalSchool liberalism
social contract theory
positionOnChurchPower the church should not wield coercive civil power
positionOnStatePower the state should concern itself only with civil interests
publicationYear 1689
relatedWork Second Treatise of Government
Two Treatises of Government

Referenced by (2)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
John Locke
notableWork
The Reasonableness of Christianity
relatedWorkByAuthor

Please wait…