Abstract

In this article, I offer a fresh perspective on John Locke’s and Alexis de Tocqueville’s religious statesmanship that sheds light on the moral and political problems facing America today. Both thinkers maintain that a firmly held set of religious beliefs must ground the popular mores, or character traits, that support liberty. According to most scholars, Locke considers popular enlightenment the best means for promoting these beliefs. I argue, however, that Locke mistrusts intellectual freedom and seeks to use authority to promote the core doctrines of reasonable Christianity, which is his preferred faith. I also compare Locke’s version of religious foundationalism with Tocqueville’s more well-known case for this concept and show how Tocqueville modifies reasonable Christianity to strengthen it against democratic skepticism. I conclude by briefly reflecting on the weakening of America’s religious foundations today and on what this portends for the future.

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