Two Treatises of Government by John Locke
"Two Treatises of Government," written by John Locke, presents a foundational argument for classical liberalism and critiques the political theories of absolute monarchy. Locke emphasizes the importance of natural rights, particularly the right to life, liberty, and property, asserting that these rights are inherent and must be protected by government. His interpretation of the law of nature serves as a moral framework that mandates individuals to respect the rights of others while pursuing their own interests.
Locke introduces the concept of a social contract, where individuals consent to form a civil society to resolve disputes and protect their rights more effectively, contrasting with the notion of a state of nature characterized by individual responsibility. Unlike Thomas Hobbes, who viewed human motivations as rooted in fear, Locke argues that reason and mutual consent underpin legitimate political authority. He rejects the idea of divine right and royal absolutism, advocating instead for a limited government accountable to its citizens. Furthermore, Locke articulates a moral justification for rebellion against tyrannical rulers, framing it as a necessary response to the violation of natural rights. This work has significantly influenced modern political thought, particularly regarding democracy and individual freedoms.
Two Treatises of Government by John Locke
First published: 1690
Type of work: Politics
Type of Ethics: Enlightenment history
Significance: This political philosophical work of classical liberalism articulated a rational moral justification of natural rights, private property ownership, limited government, and the construction of a legitimate government on the basis of consent and a social contract
The Work
The Two Treatises of Government was supportive of the political agenda of the Whigs and articulated a revolutionary sophisticated political theory of classical liberalism. John Locke’s political theory and political ethical arguments were derived from his interpretation of the natural and rational human self-interests to survive and to acquire private property. The moral premises of universal natural rights and government’s ethical obligation to protect such rights underpinned Locke’s interpretation of natural law.
The law of nature was a source of rational moral political principles and a universal code of ethics. It was morally obligatory for all individuals to consult and comply with these moral precepts. Because of partiality, self-interest, and the personal pursuit of private property, however, humans often misunderstood the law of nature. The law of nature required all individuals to preserve their own lives and property, and “no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions.” Locke asserted a moral objectivist perspective, based on his assumption that the law of nature had universal applicability and transcended any particular historical or social context. In the state of nature, because of the lack of public authority each individual was responsible for the interpretation and implementation of the law of nature as well as for the punishment of transgressors. Although individuals were relatively equal, free, and independent rational moral agents who pursued property in the state of nature, inconveniences and disputes regarding property transactions prompted individuals to unite by means of a social contract to institute a civil society.
The concept of a state of nature was viewed by Locke as a fictional contrivance that served to demonstrate the normative basis of legitimate political authority. Unlike Thomas Hobbes’s political ethical theory that humans were primarily motivated by fear of violent death to fulfill their moral obligations to the state, Locke’s moral political philosophy held that individuals were guided by reason in the creation of their social and political institutions. Locke interpreted the political authority relationship as being derived from the consent of citizens to government. Governments were entrusted specifically to protect the natural rights (particularly of private property) of individuals. The First Treatise rejected the political theory of royal absolutism, monarchical prerogative, patriarchalism, and divine right of kings advocated by Sir Robert Filmer’s Patriarcha. In contrast to Hobbes’s theory of political absolutism, which was based upon the passive obedience of citizens, Locke’s political theory of classical liberalism was grounded in the normative principles of limited government, governmental accountability, and the active moral assessment by citizens of public authority. Locke justified rebellion against an arbitrary, tyrannical sovereign who ruled by absolute power and existed in a state of war with the people. In addition to simply being a moral justification of an individual’s natural right to mix his or her labor with material objects and thereby claim exclusive property ownership, Locke’s labor theory of value and concept of property were broadly identified with the ethical principle of individual moral autonomy.
Bibliography
Cook, Thomas I. History of Political Philosophy from Plato to Burke. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1936. Places Locke’s political theories in the context of twenty-two centuries of political thought. Chapter 19 emphasizes several of Locke’s concepts, including social contract and property, plus his influence.
Franklin, Julian. John Locke and the Theory of Sovereignty. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1978. Emphasizes Locke’s role in transforming the theory of sovereignty from a limited concept to the broad principle of the eighteenth century. Includes the influence on Locke of George Lawson and his radical views concerning the dissolution of government, and reveals Locke’s relationship to the English Whig Party.
Lamprecht, Sterling Power. The Moral and Political Philosophy of John Locke. New York: Russell and Russell, 1962. Centers on the relationship between Locke and his predecessors and contemporaries. Goes beyond Locke’s Two Treatises of Government to include his views on human knowledge and understanding.
Locke, John. Two Treatises of Government. 2d ed. Edited and with an Introduction by Peter Laslett. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1970. Accepted as the standard text for studying Locke’s political theories. Contains more than one hundred pages of preliminary material, plus extensively footnoted text and an excellent bibliography.
Sabine, George. A History of Political Theory. 3d ed. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1961. Covers political theory from ancient Greeks to the twentieth century. Emphasizes Locke’s role in developing a theory of national state.