Milton's Conception of True Liberty

Abstract

<p>John Milton is one of those bold, progressive Seventeenth-Century Englishmen who devotes much of his life to the fight for religious, domestic, and political liberty. A determined champion of intellectual freedom, Milton believes that all men have fundamental right to know the truth, and to use it for a better, freer life. He proclaims the philosophy of Natural Law and social contract as the foundation of an enlightened, liberated society, his ideal commonwealth. However, Milton is essentially a convinced elitist, who reserves full or SUbstantial liberty for a minority too small to achieve and preserve his ideals.</p>