The selected political writings of John Locke. Two treatises on government ; The second treatise of government ; A letter concerning toleration. -- Background selections. Essays on the law of nature (1663-64) ; An essay concerning human understanding (1671-90) ; from The reasonableness of Christianity (1695). -- Sources. Richard Hooker -- Of the laws of ecclesiastical polity (1593) ; Hugo Grotius -- On the law of war and peace (1625) ; Thomas Hobbes -- Leviathan (1651) ; Samuel von Pufendorf -- On the law of nature and of nations (1672) ; Sir Robert Filmer -- Patriarcha or the natural power of kings defending against the unnatural liberty of the people (1680).

Interpretations. Locke as Hobbesian hedonist: Leo Strauss -- from Natural rights and history, John Yolton -- Strauss on Locke's Law of nature, A. John Simmons -- from The Lockean theory of rights ; Locke as apologist for capitalism: C.B. Macpherson -- Locke and possessive individualism, Alan Ryan -- Locke and the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie ; Equality and majority rule in Locke: Paul E. Sigmund -- Equality, legitimacy, and majority rule in Locke: continuity and change, Jeremy Waldron -- from God, Locke, and equality ; Locke as collectivist: James Tully -- Property and obligation to Locke, Jeremy Waldron -- Locke's discussion of property ; Lockean individualism: atomistic or social?: Charles Taylor -- The "punctual" self: Locke and atomistic instrumentalism, Ruth Grant -- Locke's political anthropology and Lockean individualism ; Consent and representation: genuine or fictitious? A. John Simmons -- The meaning of consent in Locke, Geraint Parry -- Locke on representation in politics ; Locke as a revolutionary?: Richard Ashcraft -- Radicalism and Lockean political theory, Mark Goldie -- Conservative revolutionary or social democrat? ; Religion and politics: W.M. Spellman -- Locke and original sin, John Dunn -- The claim to freedom of conscience: freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom or worship, David Wootton -- An evaluation of Locke's argument against persecution ; Women and slavery: liberal or conservative?: James Farr -- "So vile and miserable an estate": the problem of slavery in Locke's political thought, Melissa Butler -- Early liberal roots of feminism: John Locke and the attack on patriarchy ; Locke in America: Steven M. Dworetz -- Locke, liberalism, and the American Revolution.