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Liberty Worth the Name
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Liberty Worth the Name Hardcover - 2000

by Gideon Yaffe


From the publisher

This is the first comprehensive interpretation of John Locke's solution to one of philosophy's most enduring problems: free will and the nature of human agency. Many assume that Locke defines freedom as merely the dependency of conduct on our wills. And much contemporary philosophical literature on free agency regards freedom as a form of self-expression in action. Here, Gideon Yaffe shows us that Locke conceived free agency not just as the freedom to express oneself, but as including also the freedom to transcend oneself and act in accordance with "the good." For Locke, exercising liberty involves making choices guided by what is good, valuable, and important. Thus, Locke's view is part of a tradition that finds freedom in the imitation of God's agency. Locke's free agent is the ideal agent. Yaffe also examines Locke's understanding of volition and voluntary action. For Locke, choices always involve self-consciousness. The kind of self-consciousness to which Locke appeals is intertwined with his conception of personal identity. And it is precisely this connection between the will and personal identity that reveals the special sense in which our voluntary actions can be attributed to us and the special sense in which we are active with respect to them. Deftly written and tightly focused, Liberty Worth the Name will find readers far beyond Locke studies and early modern British philosophy, including scholars interested in free will, action theory, and ethics.

First line

LOCKE'S central discussion of the nature of freedom and the metaphysics of agency ("Of Power," II.XXI) follows a pattern typical in the Essay.

Details

  • Title Liberty Worth the Name
  • Author Gideon Yaffe
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Publisher Princeton University Press
  • Date November 15, 2000
  • ISBN 9780691049663

About the author

Gideon Yaffe is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California.
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Liberty Worth the Name
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Liberty Worth the Name

by Yaffe, Gideon

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9780691049663
ISBN 10
0691049661
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Description:
Princeton University Press, 2000-11-15. Hardcover. Very Good. This book is in fine clean condition, has a sticker on the back of the front cover and without dust-cover, clean pages *** Hard-Bound *** Princeton University Press
Item Price
$52.91
$3.85 shipping to USA