Book Review: A Letter Concerning Toleration by John Locke

Locke: Letter Concerning Toleration, a by John Locke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Originally a private letter to a Dutch friend who published it without his knowledge, the political thoughts of John Locke was first introduced to his native England in A Letter Concerning Toleration that would allow his future works to gain a large reading then and now.

In a time of political and religious conflict, Locke’s Letter revealed not only his uncertainty of known the “one true religion” when so many versions of Christianity existed but mixed that uncertainty with practical implications what how the peace in civil society would be affected by religious toleration with a reliance on Biblical analysis in key junctions within his argument. While not explicitly copying Roger Williams’ argument that the state can not enforce the first four commandments of the Decalogue as it would be interfering with God, Locke comes close in his argument that civil magistrates should only focus on keeping the peace of civil society by staying out of God’s purview because it would—though implying it already had—result in oppressed groups disrupting civil society either through civic action against them or them acting out in desperation. Locke’s Letter is not as thoroughly anti-Catholic has it was originally thought—though the criticism of High Church Anglicans that his argument for religious toleration would allow a Catholic takeover of England can be seen as them trying to insert a “boogeyman” to hid the fact they were attempting to do what he opposed—as while he opposed those that followed a “foreign” Prince (the Pope with worldly authority), if others who followed the same religious practices and theology while following their natural civil magistrates (essentially practicing Catholic who view the Pope as authority on spiritual matters only) he saw no reason why the latter could not be tolerated. Only at the end of the Letter when Locke discusses heresy and schism that his thoughts are hard to decipher and what relevance it had in the overall work.

A Letter Concerning Toleration was John Locke’s call for government not to concern itself with the spiritual salvation of its citizens and only on their civic wellbeing, while implying that religion should focus the spiritual not the civil. This short piece gives the reader an introduction into Locke’s writing before going on to longer pieces.

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Book Review: A Theologico-Political Treatise and A Political Treatise by Baruch Spinoza

A Theologico-Political Treatise and A Political Treatise by Baruch Spinoza
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A scion of Jewish refugees from the Iberian Peninsula living in the Dutch Golden Age, brought to print one of the most controversial texts of the early modern period. A Theologico-Political Treatise and A Political Treatise by Benedict de Spinoza are one of the most controversial texts of its time and an unfinished—by the author’s death—text that would have expounded upon the author’s political thoughts.

In his Theologico-Political, Spinoza argues what the best roles of state and religion concluding that a bit of democracy, freedom of speech and religion within a state that remains supreme in governance of the populace without the meddling of religious leaders. To bring about his conclusions, Spinoza critiqued the Bible, organized religion, and the meddling of philosophy and Scriptural interpretation. Yet Spinoza spent so much time in his criticism that his quick turn to his conclusions almost seemed like an add on even though this reader loved his conclusion. The unfinished Political Treatise dealt with how a monarchal or aristocratic form of government—his was just beginning his discussion of democracy at his death—could function without devolving into tyranny and not violating the liberty of its citizens. How Spinoza’s ideal governmental forms of monarchy and aristocracy were constituted were intriguing, but the treatise unfinished status leaves a reader a lot of questions without how Spinoza would incorporate his previous ideas in Theologico-Political. Of the two treatises presented, the completed Theologico-Political is of better value yet is appears to harbor Spinoza’s resentment in falling out with the Jewish community of Amsterdam, however his ending argument for the secularization of state governance along with the freedom of speech and religion are highly valuable.

This book is important for those interested in political thought and the role of religion—if any—in government. While Benedict de Spinoza’s own personal issues due come through the text the Theologico-Political Treatise is important in the evolution of thought in freedom of religion.

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Book Review: A Man Betrayed by J.V. Jones

A Man Betrayed by J.V. Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Magic, prophecies, human trafficking, politics, and the human heart in conflict with itself highlight the middle installment of Jones’ The Book of Words series. A Man Betrayed continues the stories of Jack, Melli, and Tawl as they head towards their destiny all the while Kylock forges a northern empire.

Jones continued her mixture of classical fantasy tropes and darker elements with the heroic journey and the set up for a stab in the back featured in falling the titular character. While Melli’s human trafficking journey to Bren and eventually meeting with Tawl, whose own redemption arc is beginning thanks to Nabber, mixes sex and politics with her eventual—very short—marriage to the Duke of Bren upending the plans of several individuals it was Jack’s personal journey of misguided vengeance—tricked in believing the worst of Melli’s fate—and eventual magical rage that sets him up at the end of the book to learn to control his magically “curse”. The political machinations of Baralis and Maybor while in Bren are thrown all over the place with Kylock’s actions and the Duke of Bren’s countermoves, but Baralis’ alliance with the duke’s daughter seems him on the verge of his decades-long ambition. Unlike the previous installment there were no questionable issues that distracted me even though it was obviously that Jack was being set up by the those he was around after his split with Melli that he was going to be betrayed, however it and the consequences were well written.

A Man Betrayed is a good middle of a trilogy installment as J.V. Jones develops her characters and moves the pieces of the narrative into a situation in which the ultimate climax appears to be something special.

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