Talk:Gerrard Winstanley

Translation Problem
I started a translation of this article for teh german wikipedia, but i come to a problem. I cant find the first citation in my translated version of "the new law of righteoussnes". Are you shure it is from this tract not from another one? Thanks for help 62.158.136.124 21:35, 14 Mar 2005 (UTC) (benni in german wikipedia)
 * I have now revised and extended the text to clarify who Gerrard Winstanley was, what he believed, how the True Levellers got their name. I will look for the reference that you are seeking. MPLX/MH 23:06, 14 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Major clean-up needed
this page is rather messy and contains some misleading characterisations of Winstanley. The origins of "True Leveller" can be traced to Lawrence Clarkson in 1647, for example, and I don;t think that we need to distinguish between "True Levellers" when it comes to "philosophical beliefs" and "Diggers" when it comes to political action. There's no distinction in the major secondary accounts, eg Hill, Manning, Aylmer, Petegorsky, Holstun and none in Winstanley's writings.

I also dispute calling W a "christian communist". He could certainly be seen in that tradition, and we should mention that, but we need a separate section on his religious beliefs, which have been subject to historiographical debate.

It is important to stress that W shared many of the beliefs of the Levellers when it came to political reform, and that his politcal tracts were first published in the Leveller paper, The Moderate.

The biography of Winstanley needs a major overhaul.

Instead of a lengthy and messy exposition of The New Law of Righteousness, instead the article should summarise W's most important works, which would of course include TNLoR.

This should include quotations from W's work itself. As Hill wrote, "He wrote some of the finest prose the seventeenth century produced". Orwell agreed.

Parker1parker (talk) 15:40, 28 August 2009 (UTC)