Cart
Free US shipping over $10
Proud to be B-Corp

Locke's Political Thought and the Oceans Sarah Pemberton

Locke's Political Thought and the Oceans By Sarah Pemberton

Locke's Political Thought and the Oceans by Sarah Pemberton


$32.59
Condition - New
Out of stock

Summary

This book examines John Locke's political thought and activity surrounding oceans with a focus on law and freedom at sea. By examining Locke's Two Treatises of Government alongside his work on England's Board of Trade, this book shows how his theoretical ideas were translated into laws and policies about issues such as piracy and slavery.

Locke's Political Thought and the Oceans Summary

Locke's Political Thought and the Oceans: Pirates, Slaves, and Sailors by Sarah Pemberton

This book outlines and analyzes John Locke's political thought about the oceans with a focus on law and freedom at sea. The book examines the Two Treatises of Government, in which Locke argues that the seas are collectively owned by all humans and are governed by universal natural laws that prohibit piracy. Locke's Two Treatises provides a systematic political theory of the seas that contributes to theories of international law and maritime law, but his text does not answer the practical question of how to enforce law effectively at sea. The book also considers how Locke translated his theoretical ideas into practice when he was involved in policymaking as a member of England's Board of Trade during the 1690s. On the Board, Locke waged a war against pirates by proposing an anti-piracy treaty between Europe's major maritime states, by successfully advocating a new English piracy law, and by supporting the deployment of the English Navy against pirates. Locke's war against pirates was consistent with the natural law theory in the Two Treatises, and helped to build English empire on land and at sea. There is also consistency between Locke's theoretical views about slavery and his work on the Board of Trade. As a Board member, Locke advocated forced migration and forced labor for English convicts, which is consistent with the theory of penal slavery in the Two Treatises and suggests that his theory was intended to justify the enslavement of English convicts. However, there are tensions between Locke's arguments in the Two Treatises and the policies of forced naval service that he supported on the Board. Locke's theories of law and freedom at sea shaped his vision of English national identity, and influenced the English government's policies about slavery and piracy.

Locke's Political Thought and the Oceans Reviews

Pemberton uses original archival research and historically informed secondary scholarship to produce an insightful study of the relationship between Locke's philosophically grounded writings on the origins of government and his role as adviser for imperial policy as a member of the Board of Trade. By examining the issues of piracy, penal slavery, and forced military service (especially naval impressment), she notes the tensions in Locke's commitment to representative government and liberty and his strong advocacy of colonial settlement in the Americas that required the accoutrements of imperial power. Intersecting this tension was the felt need to turn the unemployed poor into productive citizens, using inducements and coercion to people the colonies with the labor of indentured servants. Locke's agriculturalist theory of property, combined with his natural law theory of the commons, led to his defense of open seas and advocacy of international treaties to address issues of natural and domestic law jurisdictional conflicts. Locke's writings on the oceans echo today in discussions of piracy, the extension of national sovereignty far into the ocean beds, and the defense of open international waters. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. * CHOICE *
Pemberton has achieved a remarkable feat by bringing into focus a crucial yet largely neglected aspect of Locke's political thought. Drawing on Locke's unpublished writings and a rich trove of archival material, Pemberton complements the recent colonial interpretations of Locke in important ways. The book's much welcome analysis of Locke's position on piracy, naval impressment, and convict transportation sheds fresh light on the contours and limits of his putative liberalism. Political theorists and intellectual historians will find in this book a provocative yet informed interpretation of Locke's ideas. -- Onur Ulas Ince, Singapore Management University
Sarah Pemberton's fascinating book tells the stories at the fringe of the emerging liberal economic and political order. By situating John Locke's theories in the chaos of the sea, Pemberton illuminates his attempts to solve the problems of conquest and disorder in a very pragmatic fashion. This book will provide rich theoretical frameworks for anyone interested in the origins of the political orders and disorders of our own time. -- Keally McBride, University of San Francisco

About Sarah Pemberton

Sarah Pemberton is an independent scholar (PhD).

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Who Owns the Oceans? Locke's Theory of Property at Sea
Chapter 2: Robbers and Pyrates: Locke's Theory of Natural Law at Sea
Chapter 3: Locke's War on Piracy
Chapter 4: Locke's Theory of Penal Slavery
Chapter 5: Locke's Theory on Forced Military Service

Additional information

NGR9781498538237
9781498538237
1498538231
Locke's Political Thought and the Oceans: Pirates, Slaves, and Sailors by Sarah Pemberton
New
Paperback
Lexington Books
2020-03-15
178
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a new book - be the first to read this copy. With untouched pages and a perfect binding, your brand new copy is ready to be opened for the first time

Customer Reviews - Locke's Political Thought and the Oceans