The Politics of Self-Preservation: Toleration and Identity in Pufendorf and Locke
Shortly after Locke’s return to England in 1689, his support for William’s cause was recognized by the offer of an ambassadorship to Brandenburg.2 It was an important post, not only because Frederick III had assisted William’s invasion, but also because he remained a crucial Continental ally in the ongoing struggle against France. Locke declined the offer, however, no doubt because his exile had been long enough already. Without his circle of expatriates in the Netherlands, most of whom had by now returned to England, as well as his other, Dutch friends, Berlin must have seemed a lonely place indeed, even if Locke’s earlier (1665–66) experience in Cleve, one of Brandenburg’s western territories, would have predisposed him to consider it a favorable context in at least some respects.3
Tolerance, Toleration, and the Liberal Tradition
The tendency to use tolerance and toleration as roughly interchangable terms has encouraged misunderstanding of the liberal legacy and impeded efforts to improve upon it. We can improve our understanding by defining "toleration" as a set of social or political practices and "tolerance" as a set of attitudes. This distinction reveals the possibility of four clusters of attitudes: tolerant toleration, exemplified by John Locke; intolerant antitoleration, exemplified by the first generation Massachusetts Puritans; tolerant antitoleration, exemplified by Thomas Hobbes; and intolerant toleration, exemplified by Roger Williams. An exploration of their views suggests two things for contemporary societies. First, universal tolerance is both impossible and unnecessary; location and neutralization of those strains of intolerance that threaten to deny citizenship rights to vulnerable groups is sufficient for maintaining social stability. Second, since universal agreement is unlikely, the political task of liberal societies involves creating standards of behavior that permit fellow citizens to negotiate their inevitable differences peacefully.
America Or Europe?: British Foreign Policy, 1739-63
International developments Britain and the War of the Austrian Succession Anglo-French relations the Crown Parliament diplomats and ministers defence, foreign policy and strategy Pitt and moves towards new strategies, 1755-63 conclusion - Europe or America?.