John Locke Essay

John Lockes Second Treatise of Government has been, and continues to be, a stern in Western political philosophy. The theory of government he presents in this particular document that government is establish on the sovereignty of the population has been overwhelmingly important since its publication in 1690.Before going further, however, it is essential to understand the events from which the Second Treatise stems. As stated, this document was published in 1690, and it was make so anonymously. Two years prior to the publication, the highly unpopular baron James II of England had been deposed with no bloodshed whatsoever and replaced by might William III and his wife, Queen Mary, who was a daughter of the deposed king. This event was known to tale as the Glorious Revolution.Yet, when it occurred, Locke was not residing in England. However, he did have ties to the troupe that oversaw the Glorious Revolution the Whigs. As a result of this relationship, Locke sought to free the ascension of King William. Though the Second Treatise was written to justify the guard that occurred to King Charles II, it was published to justify the Glorious Revolution.Lockes Second Treatise begins with the predate that society is made up of free and equal individuals, all of whom argon endowed with natural rightlys. He goes on to state that these same individuals pass on want to acquire possession, and most likely will engage in conflicts with virtuoso another. Therefore, he suggests that the natural virtue of morality be employ to govern them.One major presumption made by Locke is the concomitant that, for a society to best protect itself and its property, the individuals within that society must join together and form a body politic, in which they keep to adhere to certain standards of behavior. To accomplish this, they must give up more or less of their natural rights. As history has since demonstrated, the giving up of natural rights has not always been met with a good response, as in the case of the American Civil War, where states rights was a major underlying cause.Within this civil society, the plurality must submit what they consider to be natural freedoms to the common law of that society. In return, they receive the protection of their government. An executive power i.e. president is given over the authority to enforce the laws of the government, punishing any that break those laws. However, should the power held by the executive or other officials within the government fail to exist up to their responsibilities, the people have the right and the responsibility to rebel against that government. at one time they have rebelled against it, if they are successful in removing it, they must replace it with one that will abide by the laws set up for the smooth rails of their society.It is this last concept that proves to be the crux of Lockes document. It was what served as his motivating to write the Second Treatise. He wanted the British to understand they had the right to replace one government with another. It would be this concept that would serve as one of the underlying philosophies that would inspire revolutions in both America and France, as well as the documents on which America was founded on the Declaration of independence and the United States Constitution.The various ideas presented in the Second Treatise limited government found on natural rights and human dignity, unlimited personal property based on those same natural rights are what make this document a superbly constructed argument against the concept of absolutism. Thus, it remains a most influential work within the realm of political philosophy, and within history in general.