ABSTRACT
Locke’s theory of voluntary action is an extremely interesting one, both in its own right and because of the light it throws upon more general aspects of Locke’s philosophy of mind and moral psychology. But unpacking exactly what Locke wants to say about the concept of voluntary action is no easy matter, and is subject to much disagreement amongst commentators. Some of this disagreement seems to stem from the desire of some commentators not to attribute to Locke what they consider to be an untenable or incoherent theory of action. Part of my aim in this chapter will be to show that Locke did adhere to a theory of a sort widely held to be untenable, but that it is not in fact untenable – indeed, that it is largely correct.
