John Locke En Essay Concerning Human Understanding in Focus

John Locke's "Essay Concerning Human Understanding" is among the most important books in philosophy ever written. It is a difficult work dealing with many themes, including the origin of ideas; the extent and limits of human knowledge; the philosophy of perception; and religion and morality. This volume focuses on the last two topics and provides a clear and insightful survey of these overlooked aspects of Locke's best-known work. Four eminent Locke scholars present authoritative discussions of Locke's view on the ethics of belief, personal identity, free will and moral theory.

John Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding is among the most important books in philosophy ever written. It is also a difficult work dealing with many themes, including the origin of ideas; the extent and limits of human knowledge; the philosophy of perception; and religion and morality. This volume is original in that it focuses on the last two of these topics and provides a clear and insightful survey of these overlooked aspects of Locke's best known work. Four eminent Locke scholars present authoritative discussions of Locke's view on the ethics of belief, personal identity, free will and moral theory. Contributors include John Passmore (Australian National University), Harold Noonan (Birmingham University), Vere Chappell (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), and Daniel Flage (James Madison University).

Introduction Gary Fuller, Robert Stecker and John P. Wright Selections from Locke's Essay: Epistle to the Reader Book 1: Of Innate Notions Book 2: Of Ideas Book 3: Of Words Book 4: Of Knowledge and Probability Locke and the Ethics of Belief John Passmore Locke on Personal Identity Harold W. Noonan Locke on the Suspense of Desire Vere Chappell Locke and Natural Law Daniel E. Flage Select Bibliography Index

Gary Fuller is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Central Michigan University. Robert Stecker is Professor of Philosophy at Central Michigan University and author of Artworks: Definition, Meaning, Value (1997). John P. Wright is Professor of Philosophy at Central Michigan University and co-editor of Psyche and Soma: Physicians and Metaphysicians on the Mind/Body Problem (forthcoming 2000).