Second Treatise of Government

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

7370

Title

Second Treatise of Government

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

John Locke's seminal political treatise argues that legitimate government derives solely from the consent of the governed to protect natural rights to life, liberty, and property. Rejecting divine right and absolute monarchy, Locke asserts that rulers who breach their trust or endanger the public good forfeit their authority, justifying the people's right to resist and establish new forms of civil society.

Summary up to 500 words

In his *Second Treatise of Government*, John Locke dismantles the patriarchal theories of Sir Robert Filmer, arguing that political authority does not stem from divine decree or conquest but from a social contract formed by free and equal individuals. Locke posits that in the state of nature, humans possess natural rights to life, liberty, and estate. However, the enjoyment of these rights is insecure due to the lack of impartial judges and consistent laws. Consequently, individuals voluntarily unite into societies to establish a commonwealth whose sole end is the preservation of property. Locke delineates the powers of the community, distinguishing between the legislative power (making laws) and the executive power (enforcing them). He insists that legislative authority must be exercised according to established standing laws for the public good, never arbitrarily. A crucial theme is the right of resistance: if a monarch or ruler acts contrary to the trust reposed in them, destroys the government, or subjugates the people to a foreign power, they effectively dethrone themselves, returning to the state of a private man. In such cases, the people become the ultimate judges and may appeal to heaven or reconstitute the legislative power. Locke further clarifies that conquest in a just war grants a conqueror no dominion over the lives or estates of the innocent, nor over the posterity of the vanquished, thereby grounding political legitimacy in justice and the consent of the governed rather than force. He argues that a conqueror has no right to seize the goods of the innocent wife and children of the vanquished, as they did not participate in the war. Furthermore, Locke asserts that the people are the ultimate judges of whether a prince acts contrary to their trust; if a king attempts to ruin the government or subjects his kingdom to a foreign power, he forfeits his authority. Thus, the fundamental law of nature dictates that all mankind should be preserved, and any government failing to secure this end loses its legitimacy.

LLM editorial rating

4.5/5

Download URL

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7370.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg7370.epub

Download EPUB

Downloaded at

2026-07-02 06:47 UTC

Categories

• Philosophy
• Politics