The Lockean Case for Religious Tolerance: The Social Contract and the Irrationality of Persecution

Ryan Pevnick

Political Studies, 2009, vol. 57, issue 4, 846-865

Abstract: John Locke's non‐religious arguments for tolerance are often seen as inadequate. He is criticized for: (1) failing to give reasons in support of a strict separation between the roles of church and state; and (2) wrongly insisting that the coercion of belief is irrational. I argue that once we understand Locke's arguments for tolerance within the context of his social contract framework, his non‐sectarian arguments can circumvent such criticisms. Lockean arguments for tolerance are thus stronger than typically supposed.

Date: 2009
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