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Two Treatises of Government
9John Locke
Locke's founding text of liberal democratic theory — natural rights to life, liberty, and property, and the right to overthrow governments that violate them.
GBM Assessment (Score: 9/10)
Two Treatises of Government stands as one of the foundational texts of liberal democratic theory. John Locke articulated a vision of natural rights — life, liberty, and property — that belong to all individuals prior to the formation of government, and he defended the right of revolution against tyrannical authority. His arguments directly influenced the framers of the American Declaration of Independence, making this work a politically consequential philosophical texts ever written.
The work was begun in the wake of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Locke's Two Treatises provided the philosophical justification for the overthrow of absolute monarchy and the establishment of constitutional government. Thomas Jefferson drew directly and extensively from Locke's language and reasoning when drafting the Declaration of Independence, embedding Lockean principles of natural rights and the consent of the governed at the very heart of the American political tradition.
Revolution & Reason, c. 1651-1689
England beheads a king (1649). Hobbes writes Leviathan. Molière dominates the French stage under Louis XIV — Tartuffe is banned, Dom Juan scandalizes, The Misanthrope perfects comedy. Milton writes Paradise Lost blind and in disgrace. Pascal wages his wager with God. Spinoza constructs his Ethics. Louis XIV builds Versailles. England's Glorious Revolution produces Locke's blueprint for liberal democracy. Newton publishes his Principia (1687). The Scientific Revolution transforms understanding of nature.
Awards & Adaptations
Direct influence on Declaration of Independence.
Recommended Edition
First edition (1689)
