Answering

Another answer to a pressing question...

The original quote:

The first and fundamental positive law of all commonwealths, is the establishing of the legislative power...

The author's life spanned some seventy odd years (1632-1704), and he is heralded as the "principal architect both of libertarianism and of the modern world." - David Boaz

Who then is this author? None other than John Locke. I'm currently working on A Letter Concerning Toleration as part of the the Encyclopedia Brittanica's Great Books series. The volume also includes some works of Berkeley and Hume, a rather sizable tome. If any of you run into Nim Cohen, ask him how Goethe is coming along.

This is, of course, a rather superficial impression, but from the short bio of Locke I read this morning, the man was a character; intellectual giant though he may have been, he wasn't quite the most productive dude and had an amusing life of hopping from country to country as the political winds blew every which way in his native England. I'll keep you posted as I learn more about this giant of liberty and political philosophy, but for the moment, I chuckle when thinking of the man himself in his element. Anyway, there you have it.