"Philosophical Inquiries in Focus" will focus on English philosopher John Locke in a lecture led by Emily Crookston at Coastal Carolina University on Tuesday, March 31, at 5 p.m. in Lackey Chapel. A discussion will follow the lecture, which is free and open to the public.

Locke helped form modern Western philosophy and had an influence on America's founders. Issues have been raised about Locke's contract theory being sexist. The talk will focus on competing interpretations of Locke's views on marriage and whether those views are chauvinistic. Some say Locke believed that wives should be subordinate to their husbands. This view will be compared with other views of Locke's -- for example, his famous claim that the source of political authority is consent. Crookston will argue that Locke's conception of authority is incompatible with his ideas of marriage.

Crookston is a visiting assistant professor at CCU and specializes in political philosophy. She has held visiting appointments at Washington University in St. Louis, where she earned her Ph.D., and UNC Chapel Hill. She co edited "War: Essays in Political Philosophy," an anthology of contemporary essays addressing normative and conceptual issues of war.

Lackey Chapel is located at 105 University Drive across from Blanton Park. For more information, contact Eva Kort, lecturer in the Philosophy Department at 843-349-6605.