Essays on the Law of Nature

This is the standard edition of John Locke's classic work of the early 1660s, Essays on the Law of Nature. Also included are selected shorter philosophical writings from the same decade. In his 1664 valedictory speech as Censor of Moral Philosophy at Christ Church, Oxford, Locke discusses the question: Can anyone by nature be happy in this life? The volume is completed by selections from Locke's manuscript journals, unpublished elsewhere: on translating Nicole's Essais de Morale; on spelling; on extension; on idolatry; on pleasure and pain; and on faith and reason. The great Locke scholar W. von Leyden introduces each of these works, setting them in their historical context. This volume is an invaluable source for Locke's early thought, of interest to philosophers, political theorists, jurists, theologians, and historians.