Two Essays on Government (English Treasure Edition)

Author: (English) John Locke
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-01
Features: John Locke (1632–1704) was a brilliant and versatile individual who studied at the University of Oxford in his youth, delving deeply into philosophy, natural sciences, and medicine. At the age of 34, Locke cured a long-standing mysterious illness of the Earl of Shaftesbury (a prominent leader of the Whig Party in Britain at the time), forming a close friendship with the earl and beginning to engage in the core of British politics as his private secretary, witnessing the tumultuous changes of the English bourgeoisie revolution firsthand. Two Treatises of Government collects Locke's main political philosophy, not only making him the culmination of classical liberalism but also having a profound impact on later political realities. Two Treatises of Government is divided into two parts. The first part is primarily a debate against the divine right of kings theory held by the very famous writer Filmer at the time in Britain, with a strong sense of critiquing contemporary issues, which can be categorized as "deconstruction." In the second part, Locke focuses on "construction," explaining his main political ideas. Historically, when people discuss Locke's political thought, they primarily focus on the second part of Two Treatises of Government. In 1689, Locke began writing Two Treatises of Government, which was published in 1690, aiming to defend the legitimacy of the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in Britain. The book immediately caused a sensation upon its publication. Around its theme, in the second part of Two Treatises of Government, Locke proposed that the power of rulers should come from the consent of the ruled, and the sole purpose of establishing a state is to ensure the safety of society and the natural rights of its people. When the government's actions contradict this purpose, people have the right to take action, even by force, to reclaim power. In fact, like Hobbes, Locke also started from the "state of nature" of humans when attempting to solve the issue of the origin and source of political power, discussing around concepts such as "natural law," "natural rights," and "contract." Therefore, in this sense, he is no different from Hobbes. However, at the beginning of his argument, even in the description of the "state of nature," Locke had significant disagreements with Hobbes. Locke's described state of nature is a "state of complete and perfect freedom," within the bounds of natural law, everyone can decide their actions and handle their relationships with others according to what they deem appropriate, without being subject to the will of anyone else. Although this state is not a utopian paradise, compared to the grim and terrifying image of "man to man is like wolf to wolf" and "war of all against all" as described by Hobbes, it is instead "a state of peace, goodwill, mutual aid, and preservation."