សាកលវិទ្យាល័យ ប៊ែលធី អន្តរជាតិ

World Wide E-Library

Book Cover

Read PDF

( 27 )
Article By JSTOR

The Anxiety of Freedom, Imagination and Individuality in Locke's Political Thought

Author

Mehta; Uday Singh

Year

1992

Publisher

Cornell University Press

Type

BOOK

Category

Biography & Autobiography

Language

English

Pages

208

ISBN

978-0-80142-756-5

Link

Last Update

24-Sep-2025

Keywords

Political Science ; Philosophy ; History

Description

The enduring appeal of liberalism lies in its commitment to the idea that human beings have a "natural" potential to live as free and equal individuals. The realization of this potential, however, is not a matter of nature, but requires that people be molded by a complex constellation of political and educational institutions. In this eloquent and provocative book, Uday Singh Mehta investigates in the major writings of John Locke the implications of this tension between individuals and the institutions that mold them. The process of molding, he demonstrates, involves an external conformity and an internal self-restraint that severely limit the scope of individuality. Mehta explores the centrality of the human imagination in Locke's thought, focusing on his obsession with the potential dangers of the cognitive realm. Underlying Locke's fears regarding the excesses of the imagination is a political anxiety concerning how to limit their potential effects. In light of Locke's views on education, Mehta concludes that the promise of liberation at the heart of liberalism is vitiated by its constraints on cognitive and political freedom.

Related

See More
Image Description

Gleichstellungspolitik öffentlicher Arbeitgeber
Image Description

Access to Public Sector Information Volume 1, Law, Technology and Policy, Law, Technology and Policy
Image Description

The Data Journalism Handbook

The Data Journalism Handbook
Image Description

Families and Food in Hard Times
Image Description

Die Dynamik der Telekommunikationsmärkte als Herausforderung an die Wettbewerbspolitik.

Die Dynamik der Telekommunikationsmärkte als Herausforderung an die Wettbewerbspolitik.
Image Description

Social Work in the Changing Welfare State, A Policy Analysis of Active Labour Market Policies for Disadvantaged Youth in Austria