Social Secularism in Modern age: Comparing Locke's and Mill's Philosophical Foundations, and the Impact of the Foundations on Mill's Utilitarianism

This paper، focusing on the distinction between political secularism and social secularism، shows that why and how our subject matter in the study of Western secularism، is not political secularism، but social secularism. Secularism، is more generalized than what is usually represented، this generalized secularism، e. g. international secularism، called social secularism. Focusing on John Locke and John Stuart Mill’s philosophical and political issues، this article referring to Locke’s key epistemological and political investigations، demonstrates، firstly، the similarity between the ideas of two philosophers in classical liberalism; secondly، investigates that there is a considerable relation between political secularism، in Locke’s letters of tolerations and what is seen here as social secularism in Mill’s liberalism. In other words، this paper examining the idea، in a comparative method، reveals the logic of Locke’s epistemology and Mill’s social secularism; and shows that Locke’s political philosophy is reduced to political secularism and also explains the essential connection between Locke’s political secularism and Mill’s social secularism in 19th. century