James Harrington
English republican whose Oceana (1656) tied political power to the balance of property.
Ask James Harrington a question
Answers come only from his own recorded words, with every quotation checked against its source.
Who he was
James Harrington was an English republican and the author of Oceana (1656).
Oceana holds "that empire follows the balance of property," and proposes an agrarian law and the rotation of magistrates by ballot.
Why he is at the Seat
Harrington is on the Lutz-based roster. He is the Seat's voice on property, power and how a republic keeps one from swallowing the other.
What we hold
- Editions
- Toland, The Oceana and Other Works
- Size
- About 370,000 words; essentially complete. Word counts are whole files, so they include editors' headnotes and footnotes.
Known limits
- Undated: the "as of" year does not apply.
Questions he answers well
The questions his engine was tested on before it opened.
- How does the balance of property determine the form of government?
Published answers
- What makes a commonwealth immortal?
- How should a commonwealth arm its citizens?
- Why is the secret ballot important?
- What is an empire of laws and not of men?
- How should a senate propose and a people resolve?
- Why should officeholders rotate out of office?
- What is an agrarian law, and why does a commonwealth need one?
- How does the balance of property determine the form of government?
More in Prior Questions.