{"product_id":"the-empire-of-habit-9781580465618","title":"The Empire of Habit","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Empire of Habit\u003c\/i\u003e critiques the traditional interpretation of Locke's political thought, revealing that the foundation of Lockean liberalism is not natural law but discipline and habit.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJohn Locke's political thought provides much of the theoretical underpinning for our own liberal democracy. According to Locke's liberalism, the rights and freedoms of civil society are grounded in natural law, which is known andobserved by all citizens.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In this volume, John Baltes challenges this interpretation of Locke. Examining Locke's \u003ci\u003eEssay Concerning Human Understanding\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSome Thoughts Concerning Education\u003c\/i\u003e, Baltes reveals aLocke who is in conflict with the natural-law philosopher found in his famous \u003ci\u003eTwo Treatises of Government\u003c\/i\u003e. In his works on epistemology and education, Locke describes morality as a construct and human nature as malleable. Drawing on Foucault's concept of discipline, Baltes reconsiders Locke's liberalism and shows that it requires citizens governed not by natural law but habit, that is, subjects who are constructed by carefully controlled space and visibility and regulated in their conduct to become capable of self-government. \u003ci\u003eThe Empire of Habit\u003c\/i\u003e thus offers not only a new reading of one of the most important political philosophers of the Western tradition but also newinsight into our own political liberalism. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  John Baltes is an independent scholar of political theory.","brand":"John Baltes","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48280448532731,"sku":"9781580465618","price":120.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/3917\/9771\/files\/9781580465618.jpg?v=1772485063","url":"https:\/\/indiepubs.com\/products\/the-empire-of-habit-9781580465618","provider":"IndiePubs","version":"1.0","type":"link"}