Locke: A Biography

Description

This is the first comprehensive biography of John Locke to be published in nearly a half century. Setting Locke's life within exciting historical and intellectual contexts, which included the English Civil War, religious persecution, and the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Roger Woolhouse interweaves an account of Locke's life with a summary and development of his ideas in theory of knowledge, philosophy of science, medicine, economics, philosophy of religion, and political philosophy. Systematic and encyclopedic in its coverage, Woolhouse's biography offers both an account and explanation of Locke's ideas, while treating seriously his emotional relationship with Elinor Parry. Based on broad research and many years of study of Locke's philosophy, this volume is an authoritative biography on one of the most significant early modern philosophers.

Roger Woolhouse is emeritus professor of philosophy at the University of York. He has written on aspects of the history of philosophy and philosophy of science, and is author of many journal articles and books, including Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz and, with R. Francks, Leibniz's New System and Leibniz: Philosophical Texts.

'Now we can be grateful not only for the life and works of this profoundly influential man but for Woolhouse's gift of him to us anew.' Library Journal 'Woolhouse's portrait supersedes the 1957 definitive biography by mining a multivolume collection of Locke's correspondence published since then, providing this opportunity for active philosophy collections to freshen their Locke section.' Booklist 'Woolhouse weaves compelling critical readings of Locke's works into events in Locke's life that prompted them, also showing the extent to which many of Locke's key ideas emerged early in his life. Woolhouse combines engaging writing with lucid insights into Locke's times to create not only an elegant critical biography but also a first-rate social history.' Library Journal 'Woolhouse has produced an outstanding work of scholarship. ... it will be an indispensable resource for many years to come.' Locke Studies 'If one loves Locke, or liberty, or, indeed, Somerset, this is a book one cannot comfortably live without. Roger Woolhouse is a professor of philosophy , so he can explain the full development of Locke's philosophical works. He combines that with a warm and fascinating account of Locke's personal and political life.' The Times 'In this excellent biography, the author is keen to show how Locke's philosophy was based on the events through which he lived: the Civil War ...Whilst he discusses those works with great care and clarity, he is always keen to give readers a portrait of Locke the man with his strengths and weaknesses.' Contemporary Review 'In this excellent biography, the author is keen to show how Locke's philosophy was based on the events through which he lived: the Civil War, parliamentary and Cromwellian dictatorships' Contemporary Review '... neat and lucid account ...' Times Literary Supplement '... a valuable tool for any scholar interested in Locke or the intellectual history of the late seventeenth century.' British Journal for the History of Philosophy 'Roger Woolhouse, a professor of philosophy emeritus at York and a specialist of the period, has supplied the new version. ...there are wonderful passages in Woolhouse's account.' Robert Mankin