The Levellers and “Radical Humanism”: Inside and Outside Republicanism

Abstract

The aim of this article is to reflect on the intellectual and political background of the Levellers. First, we will seek to discover to what extent the identification of the Levellers as “millennialist saints” is accurate or whether, on the contrary, it is more appropriate to place them within the category of humanists. Second, we analyze the relationship between the political thought of Levellers and civic republicans. Finally, the Levellers are defined here as a group that posits a modern and inclusive political project, forming what we may call a radical humanist movement.