Second Treatise of Government

One-Page Summary

John Locke's Second Treatise of Government begins by rejecting the claim that political authority naturally belongs to kings through inheritance or divine paternal power. Instead, human beings begin in a state of natural freedom and equality, possessing rights that exist before government. The major problem is not how to justify absolute rule but why people would voluntarily create political society at all. Locke's answer is that individuals unite to protect life, liberty, and property more reliably than they can alone. Government therefore exists by consent and remains legitimate only so long as it serves the purposes for which people created it.

Locke's account of property is central: by mixing one's labor with what is available in nature, a person can establish a claim to it, subject to limits that are later transformed by the development of money. He then separates legislative and executive functions and argues against arbitrary power. When rulers violate the trust placed in them—by attacking rights, abandoning law, or trying to establish absolute control—the political relationship can be dissolved and the people can establish a new government. The book became foundational to later liberal political thought because it treats government not as an owner of its citizens but as a human institution created to protect pre-existing rights.

Key Themes

Rights: This title is tagged with rights as one of its main themes.

Consent: This title is tagged with consent as one of its main themes.

Government: This title is tagged with government as one of its main themes.

Property: This title is tagged with property as one of its main themes.

Freedom: This title is tagged with freedom as one of its main themes.

Philosophy: This title is tagged with philosophy as one of its main themes.