An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

THE ‘FATHER OF LIBERALISM’

8vo., 2 vols; recently rebound in half speckled calf over marbled paper-covered boards; five raised bands to spine, with contrasting red morocco label gilt to second compartment, and gilt devices, Vol numbers and date to others; renewed endpapers; red speckled edges; pp. [v], ii-iv, [xxvi], 372; [xvi], 340, [xxviii]; with frontis portrait of the author to Vol I; some corner creasing throughout, as well as occasional light tide marking; first few pages of Vol I with some spotting and browning, decreasing further through the text; last few pages of Vol II similarly marked, with title page from Vol II curiously offset to the final page; a smart set. 

Tenth edition, ‘with large additions’. 

First published in 1689, Locke’s pinnacle essay on the foundation of human knowledge is widely considered to be one of the principal sources of empiricism in modern philosophy. Empiricism, which argues that knowledge comes primarily from sensory experience and empirical evidence, is based upon the ‘tabula rasa’ or ‘blank slate’ theory, which postulates that human beings are born with no inherent ideas, but that impressions from life later form the basis of all of our understanding.  Locke’s ideas were at complete odds to Cartesian philosophy, which held that scientific knowledge could be derived a priori from 'innate ideas' through deductive reasoning. It also emphasised the freedom of individuals to dictate their own lives, which in turn led to his doctrine of ‘natural rights’; to life, liberty, and property. It was these very ideas which would later form the basis of the American Revolution, with some claiming that Locke’s language influenced the wording which Thomas Jefferson chose in his drafting the July 1776 Declaration of Independence   

In many ways, Locke’s philosophy marked the beginning of the modern Western conceptions of the self, and heavily influenced the subject matter of modern psychology. Enlightenment philosophers such as David Hume and George Berkeley drew strongly on his work, and Voltaire later wrote that “just as a skilled anatomist explains the workings of the human body, so does Locke's Essay on the Human Understanding give the natural history of consciousness.… So many philosophers having written the romance of the soul, a sage has arrived who has modestly written its history.” 

An up-together example of this incredibly important philosophical work, lovingly rebound. 

The perfect gift copy for the discerning philosophy student.   

SKU: 1800181