Second Treatise of Government - Softcover

Synopsis

The Second Treatise of Government by John Locke concerns the state of nature, and the best form of governance to which mankind may aspire.

At the time his treatises were written, English politics had undergone decades of upheaval in the wake of the English Civil War. When Dutch monarch William of Orange ascended to the English throne in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, burning questions over the best form of governance for England were prominent in the intelligentsia of the era. It was a time when England grappled with its incremental transition from monarchy to early forms of democracy and right to vote, where dynastic monarchy and religious theory still held considerable power over the formation of the state.

In his second treatise Locke examines the state of nature. He discusses how humanity may have behaved prior to the establishment of formal societies, and concludes that humanity - even without an established government in place - had never been truly lawless even when freedom was at its farthest extent. In arguing against the tyranny of absolute monarchy, while acknowledging the advantages of humanity's freedom in its natural ungoverned state, Locke arrives at his conclusion: a democratically elected government, whereby humans are accorded freedoms but must conform to the rule of law, is the most advantageous type of government to which humans can aspire.

Lauded as a classic of political philosophy, the treatises by Locke are a common requirement in various educational courses concerning political science and philosophy to this day. While steeped in the historical realities of the late 17th century, the arguments Locke composes for governance favourable to the people and their country's development were immensely influential on political theory during and after the Enlightenment era.

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