Can someone explain to me what the second treatise of civil government is about without giving a definition but more an explanat
ion? The reason I'm asking is that the Google definition is confusing/.
1 answer:
John Locke was an English philosopher who wrote <em>The Second Treatise of Civil Government</em> in 1690, after a tumultuous century in England. England had gone through many changes in the 1600s: monarchs beheaded, civil war, martial law, monarchs restored, and eventually foreign monarchs and the adoption of a bill of rights. All of this happened in only about 80 years! John Locke lived through these events, which profoundly influenced his political views.
John Locke's political views can be found in this book. He based his ideas on the concept of natural law, or a universal moral law that applies to all peoples and nations. Locke believed that a government was based on a contract between the ruler and his people. This contract was necessary to establish order (or everything would be chaos, like in England!). Locke believed that people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property (based on natural law) and the government is expected to protect these rights, which exist apart from any ruler. According to Locke, the people have the right to break this contract if the government fails to uphold their natural rights. This could be in the form of a rebellion, if necessary.
Locke's writings became widely read and were very influential in Europe and eventually the American colonies. If the words "life, liberty, and property" sound familiar, it is because John Locke's writings inspired Thomas Jefferson to pen the words "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" in the Declaration of Independence less than one hundred years later.
John Locke's political views can be found in this book. He based his ideas on the concept of natural law, or a universal moral law that applies to all peoples and nations. Locke believed that a government was based on a contract between the ruler and his people. This contract was necessary to establish order (or everything would be chaos, like in England!). Locke believed that people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property (based on natural law) and the government is expected to protect these rights, which exist apart from any ruler. According to Locke, the people have the right to break this contract if the government fails to uphold their natural rights. This could be in the form of a rebellion, if necessary.
Locke's writings became widely read and were very influential in Europe and eventually the American colonies. If the words "life, liberty, and property" sound familiar, it is because John Locke's writings inspired Thomas Jefferson to pen the words "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" in the Declaration of Independence less than one hundred years later.
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