Second Treatise of Government: Chapter 15: Of Paternal, Political, and Despotical Power, considered together Summary & Analysis

Although Locke speaks of power earlier, he revisits the issue due to “the great mistakes of late about government” that arises from confusing the separate and distinct powers. Paternal power is nothing more than the power of parents over children, to nourish and support them until an age of reason is reached. This power is not intended to serve as a form of government, Locke says, and it does not extend over the life and death of children. Paternal power also does not extend to the child’s property.

Political power, Locke says, is power given freely to a common-wealth after one leaves a state of nature, which enables the common-wealth to preserve the life and property of its subjects and punish transgressors. Political power involves only the power one has in a state of nature. Despotical power is the absolute and arbitrary power over another to end their life. This power is not given by the law of nature, as no one in nature can have arbitrary power over another; thus, it is effectively a forfeiture of life when the aggressor puts themselves in a state of war with another. Despotical power does not arise from any sort of agreement or contract, so it can be nothing else than a state of war, Locke argues.

Paternal power is given by way of nature, and political power through voluntary consent and agreement, Locke says. Despotical power arises from forfeiture, such as in a lord who strips a subject of land. In this way, it is easy to see that paternal power falls short of political power, and despotical power far exceeds it. Thus, neither parental power nor despotical power can be any part of civil society, Locke argues, outside the bonds of parent and child, of course.