Two Treatises of Government
Locke's foundational work on natural rights and consent of the governed.
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Two Treatises of Government is English philosopher John Locke's principal work of political philosophy. The full title announces its dual purpose: to detect and overthrow the false principles of Sir Robert Filmer and his followers, and to provide an essay concerning the true original, extent, and end of civil government. Published anonymously in 1689, shortly after the Glorious Revolution, the work was likely drafted between 1679 and 1681 during the Exclusion Crisis, a political struggle to prevent the Catholic brother of King Charles II from inheriting the throne. Historian Peter Laslett established that the bulk of the writing occurred during this period, with revisions made after Locke was forced into exile in the Dutch Republic in 1683.
Main ideas
The First Treatise offers a sentence-by-sentence refutation of Filmer’s Patriarcha, which argued for a divinely ordained, hereditary, absolute monarchy—ideas that still had living defenders. The Second Treatise outlines a theory of civil society based on natural rights and contract theory, holding that government requires the consent of the governed and, under limited circumstances, the right to overthrow the ruler. The work is considered a revolutionary text for its time and a foundational document of liberalism.
Publication history
Locke’s earlier political writings, such as Two Tracts on Government from 1660, had defended a conservative position, but he never published that work. The Two Treatises was first published with numerous errors, which Locke complained about; he spent the rest of his life trying to produce a corrected edition, finally entrusting the fourth edition to friends as he died. A French translation published in 1691 omitted the preface, the entire First Treatise, and the first chapter of the Second Treatise, and it was in this incomplete form that Enlightenment thinkers like Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau encountered the work. The only American edition printed in the 18th century, in Boston in 1773, also omitted these sections.
Lore & Background
The First Treatise is a sentence-by-sentence refutation of the late Robert Filmer’s Patriarcha, which defended a divinely ordained, hereditary, absolute monarchy—ideas that still had living supporters. The Second Treatise presents Locke’s vision of a more civilized society founded on natural rights and contract theory, where government requires the consent of the governed and, under limited circumstances, the people may overthrow the ruler. The work was published anonymously in 1689, following the Glorious Revolution, but was likely drafted between 1679 and 1681 during the Exclusion Crisis. Historian Peter Laslett established that most of the writing was completed by 1680, with revisions after Locke fled to Dutch exile in 1683.
The arguments in the First Treatise directly counter the divine right of kings, a pressing issue during the Exclusion Crisis, when Locke’s patron Lord Shaftesbury led efforts to bar the Catholic James from the throne. Richard Ashcraft later suggested the treatises are better linked to the revolutionary conspiracies surrounding the Rye House Plot, which forced Locke and others into exile. Locke did not acknowledge authorship until the end of his life, knowing the work was dangerous. The book is a foundational text of liberal theory, and the Second Treatise has been described as a revolutionary work in its time and place.
Did You Know?
- More than half of Locke's original draft, occupying a space between the First and Second Treatises, has been irretrievably lost.
- The first edition was replete with errors; Locke held the printers to a higher standard of perfection than the technology of the time would permit.
- The First Treatise breaks off in mid-sentence.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Two Treatises of Government (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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