Second Treatise of Government Themes

In 1689, English philosopher John Locke anonymously published his political work Two Treatises of Government. Broken into two separate essays, Two Treatises argues the illegitimate nature of patriarchalism—the belief in the absolute power of the monarchy—and offers other approaches for a civilized society. In the Second Treatise of Government, Locke begins his argument with the state of nature, or the way of life of humankind prior to the advent of civil society…

The basis of John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government is that civil society is formed to protect and preserve one’s life, liberty, and property. In order for any society—of which Locke argues there are many—to be civil, said society must offer what nature is lacking. First, a civil society must have written and known laws that all people follow. No one, Locke argues, can be above the law. A civil society must have an…

As Locke’s Second Treatise of Government outlines the ways in which a civil society can be created and maintained through a formal government, he also outlines the ways in which a government can be dissolved. Locke is quick to point out that the dissolution of government is not the same as the dissolution of society. A society, which is created through consent and agreement into a common-wealth, can exist without government; however, government…