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    Second Treatise of Government
    Second Treatise of Government
    Second Treatise of Government
    Ebook242 pages3 hours

    Second Treatise of Government

    By John Locke

    3.5/5

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    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArchive Classics
    Release dateJan 1, 1945

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    Reviews for Second Treatise of Government

    3.5/5

    242 ratings13 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Locke is boring. And I won't back down from that. The ideas in the book, however, are sound, at least along all the main lines of argument. And it is historically important, shaping influence, etc., and, actually, I think, much more so than certain other so-called Cornerstones of Western Civilization thinkers (Plato springs to mind for some reason). Stripped down to a pot-boiler summary, he says that a government by the consent of the governed, in which is the state is an instrument of the people, is better than having the whole country be prey to some Noxious Brute of a tyrant. And that's true, and at the time, it needed to be said, and there's still something to be said for being reminded of it. (And, of course, there's something to be said for a political philosopher whose ideas can be put into pot-boiler-summary form without producing an Emperor's New Clothes thing, where, suddenly--with say, I don't know, Plato or Marx--you'd just have to censor the pot-boiler summary, or maybe even stop people from boiling water in pots altogether, because if they did that, they might just learn too much about what perfect plans the political obscurantists are cooking up for them.) But I think it might also be reasonably said that, as a piece of prose, this book is no shining triumph. Nope, not the most accessible Treatise you'll ever pick up and read. It's more of a grind...I guess I might add one other thing though. I think that one of the other things Locke was saying was that, in a free country, the government is not your parent, and the state should not be able to treat you like a child if you're free. The relationship that free people have with their government should not be the same relationship that small children have with their parents. It's just that, since Locke's style, if you can call it that, (although I suppose I should thank him for writing in something that can tentatively be called English, which is better than many literati did back then--they mostly wrote in Latin, not least because it was something the ordinary sort couldn't access), is so opaque that you almost can't figure out what he's saying unless you already have a decent idea what he's saying before you start, and then give it a long long time to digest after you're done reading. (7/10)
    • 3/5
      I read this book immediately after Hobbe's Leviathan. I found both to be tough recreational reads, but there were sufficient rewards in both to cover the pain.Locke's book makes more sense to my modern mind - he quite rightly puts the view that the head of government (King or whatever) must be subject to the laws of the Commonwealth, and must not be judges in their own cases. This is the fundamental point of difference between Locke and Hobbes.But while Locke may be right, Hobbes is the better writer. While Hobbes is short, direct and punchy in his prose, Locke wanders and is need of a good editor. Often he summarises his views at the end of a chapter, and this reader couldn't help but think that the summary should be at the start, and most of the rest of the chapter ditched.While both want to be seen to be developing their position from first principles, both writer views are coloured by the English Civil War. Hobbes considers the rebels criminals; Locke supports their actions, and their writing shows their preferences.I was also amused to see (Ch 13) that fair electoral boundaries and equal representation was already a thorny issue. Gerrymandering is clearly not only a modern problem.Read Aug 2014
    • 2/5
      Yikes- I'd thought that, since so many liberals (or what in America are called, bizarrely enough, conservatives) take this as a kind of ur-text, it'd be, you know, good. My bad. I should have realized that quality of argument is totally superfluous in political matters.

      Whatever he meant to say, Locke ends up saying very little. He says the state of nature is peaceable and pleasant... and that we form political societies to escape from the state of nature. He writes an entire treatise to describe a legitimate state. He describes a legitimate state as one that originates in a compact between people in the state of nature, and then ignores the fact that there are no such states. (Note to America-boosters: the founders of America were not in the state of nature, they were already part of a civil society. America is the result of civil war/conquest, not compact). The much ballyhooed 'mingling of my labor' as a claim of property rights actually ends up meaning 'mingling of my labor, and that of my employees,' thus fundamentally undermining any justification that he might have had for the origins of property- because he has no account of how some people come to be employers and some to be employees.

      As with all political theory that tries to lay out a rationale for people obeying modern nation states, it ignores history, logic and morality. Still, worth reading- it's short and easy to prove wrong. No wonder it's a staple in first year philosophy courses.
    • 2/5
      A very important work but one that I mostly disagree with (chapter 5, I'm looking at you).
    • 3/5
      Locke states one of the building blocks of the concept of individual rights, that finally civil government exists because of an implied agreement to create a structure to control both the right of property, and the right of self preservation. When these rights are in conflict, it seems to him that the right of self preservation should prevail over the right to property. The rest of the essay is in defence of this principle against the idea that the rights of property are paramount in society. The essay was originally published in 1690, and was to some degree giving the reasons for the expulsion of James II from British government.
    • 2/5
      When you examine the "axioms" of his doctrine, it is very difficult to take his posterior developments very seriously as political theory. What if access to land is limited?
    • 5/5
      We are born Free, as we are born Rational.An inspiring (if somewhat unsound) foundational text in political philosophy.
    • 4/5
      In this, the second of his Two Treatises of Government, John Locke examines humankind's transition from its original state of nature to a civil society. According to Locke, legitimate government arises to enforce the natural law and the property rights of individuals; when a government fails to do this, or attempts to exert powers beyond those granted by the people, revolution is justified. One can see the lasting influence of Locke's ideas through their familiarity to the modern reader - the roots of classical liberalism are here, and the arguments presented in this text have relevance to any modern student of political theory. The introduction and annotations included in this edition are intended to contextualize the work and prevent misunderstanding, without advancing any particular scholarly interpretation or merely summarizing Locke's arguments. This edition has its origin in the acclaimed Broadview Anthology of Social and Political Thought and adheres to the anthology's format and high standards of accuracy and accessibility.Toon minderRecensie(s)An excellent edition of Locke's classic text of political theory. The engaging and accessible introduction draws readers into Locke's life and work in politics and philosophy, as well as a number of the most important debates that his thought continues to spark. The annotated text offers a great aid to students learning to navigate an older language of politics. -- Torrey Shanks, University at Albany, SUNY Locke's Second Treatise is among the most influential texts in the history of political thought, and essential reading for students of politics. This edition has an accessibly written introduction that sets the context for the work, brings out its historical importance, and directs students to the most salient concepts and issues to be found in it. It also provides thoughtful questions that will usefully guide classroom discussion. -- Richard Vernon, University of Western Ontario With the passage of time, Locke's Second Treatise has become increasingly difficult for students to understand. The distinctive contribution of this edition, both in the introduction and the notes, is to go further in providing students with the tools to really engage with and understand the primary text. -- Alex Tuckness, Iowa State University
    • 5/5
      The social contract theorist: when NEW people ENTER the situation without full disclosure and consent, are they part of a social contract?
    • 4/5
      Thankfully, we don't analogize the United States government as our parents. Parenthood implies a duty to guide and hold authority over its citizens. However, it was aptly utilized by John Locke to explain how minors are protected in their decision making by those God placed as their guardians, but conversely, government, through a commonwealth, is a voluntary association of men using common law to protect the most precious thing of all: property. And yes, property includes one's self.Laying the groundwork for federalism and arbitrariless ajudication of the law to promote equality and protect our "rights," John Locke writes a persuasive piece on a form of government not really in existance since the Roman empire. It is no wonder why the American Founding Fathers so widely adopted ideas from this writing.
    • 5/5
      A masterpiece that refined ideas of the early political philosophers (Aristotle, Hobbes, Rousseau) into what became American government. I can understand why the Federalist authors relied on Locke and see directly his influence in those works. All of the key elements are there: libertarianism (trade-off of commonwealth to protect property against the initiation of force), balance of powers, ultimate recourse of the people, state of nature, benefits of commonwealth, justice. He builds with the elements of power -- slavery is not a right but a sustained state of war, paternal power is different than power of the government. Regarding robbery, he contrasts the effect of that done by an individual with that done by government, the former being abhorrent, the latter lauded. Regarding the fall of government, Locke draws distinctions between conquest (external), usurpation (internal), tyranny (internal with the benefit going to the tyrant), and degradation into anarchy. The basis of political society is that people give up their natural right of force available in a state of nature to get the protection of property, which includes threat of punishment and legal recourse. The latter provides for the third branch of government. Regarding monarchy, he shows that almost all forms were at some point elective, originally when a king was designated and accepted; later anytime that decision is validated. The legislative is the first and supreme power, being directly designated by the people.
    • 5/5
      Smaller than The Prince in length of pages but more broad than The Leviathan in terms of affirmative discussion of political structure. Whereas The Leviathan spends most of its time on the state of nature, and The Prince is antiquated in monarchy, Locke disposes with the state of nature quickly, and then discusses what we should do in terms of government. Read this if you can't stomach The Leviathan but have more intellectual interest than those who stop with The Prince. It's important that anybody who has any interest in American government have this on their shelves. A must for political scientists.
    • 5/5
      This is the groundbreaking work of political philosophy that laid a philsophical framework for the existence of individual rights. Locke considers why people created government in the first place, using it as a basis to argue for a limited government with clear laws created to protect "life, liberty and property." Not exactly light reading for the poolside, but mandatory if you want to understand where the ideology of the US constitution came from.

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    Second Treatise of Government - John Locke

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