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The Second Treatise is one of the most important political treatises ever written and one of the most far-reaching in its influence. In his provocative 15-page introduction to this edition, the late eminent political theorist C. B. Macpherson examines Locke's arguments for limited,... Read Full Overview

As one of the early Enlightenment philosophers in England, John Locke sought to bring reason and critical intelligence to the discussion of the origins of civil society.Endeavoring to reconstruct the nature and purpose of government, a social contract theory is proposed. The... Read Full Overview

John Locke's Second Treatise outlines his ideas for a more civilized society based on natural rights and contract theory.

The Second Treatise outlines a theory of civil society. John Locke begins by describing the state of nature, a picture much more stable than Thomas Hobbes' state of "war of every man against every man," and argues that all men are created equal in the state of nature by... Read Full Overview

John Locke's seminal and tremendously influential treatise on the nature of society and the role of government, covering themes including: the state of nature, conquest and slavery, property, representative government, and the right to revolution. Locke's writing influenced philosophers... Read Full Overview

John Locke's Two Treatises is a pivotal work for anyone studying political philosophy. Locke was a doctor, a scientist and a philosopher, who made key contributions to the development of Enlightenment thinking in the late 1600s. In the Second Treatise, Locke presents a nuanced... Read Full Overview

About Second Treatise of Government

Edited by A. John Simmons, "one of our most distinguished theorists of political obligation" (Jeremy Waldron), the Norton Library edition of Locke's Second Treatise of Government features the complete text of the sixth (1764) edition,... Read Full Overview

The Second Treatise of Government outlines John Locke's theory of civil society. Locke begins by describing the state of nature, and argues that all men are created equal in the state of nature by God. From this, he goes on to explain the hypothetical rise of property and... Read Full Overview

The Second Treatise of Government: An Essay Concerning the True Origin, Extent, and End of Civil Government