Things Indifferent in Locke’s Writings on Toleration

Abstract

The article covers Locke’s discussion of things indifferent, or adiaphora, considering texts from his early authoritarian Two Tracts on Government to the Epistola de Tolerantia. Along the history of philosophy, indifference has been claimed for various aspects of human life : for external things, for kinds of action, for beliefs and forms of worship. The article shows the persistent presence of this notion in Locke’s writings. Additionally, its use in the aforementioned fields is explored, and its relevance for understanding Locke’s conception of toleration is stressed.