For three decades, John Locke has been the object of a tug-of-war between scholars who view him as the father of modern liberalism and those who view him as an exponent of civic republicanism. A closer reading of Locke’s life and thought reveals that he was both, and that the ahistorical liberal-republican debate has obscured rather than illuminated the nature of Locke’s radicalism and influence.

Jerome Huyler is an independent scholar and author living in Brooklyn, New York.
EconomistsEconomyGovernment and PoliticsLaw and LibertyPhilosophy and ReligionPolitical Theory
Other Independent Review articles by Jerome Huyler
Winter 2018/19 Reader Response: The Road to Crony Capitalism: Locke, Jefferson and American History
Summer 1997 The Myth of American Individualism