Two treatises of government : in the former, the false principles and foundation of Sir Robert Filmer, and his followers are detected and overthrown ; the latter is an essay concerning the true original, extent, and end of civil-government
Widely considered to be the father of liberalism, John Locke was a leading philosopher of the Enlightenment. His Two Treatises of Government was written during the period of Whig opposition to Charles II and James II in the 1680s. Published a year after the Glorious Revolution of 1688 brought William and Mary to the throne, it offers a theory of natural law that distinguishes between legitimate and illegitimate governments and argues for the legitimacy of revolt against tyrannical governments. Important contributions to Enlightenment thought, these ideas remain influential today. In this reprint of the third edition (1689), the last edition published during Locke's lifetime, Locke espouses radical theories that influenced the ideologies of the American and French revolutions and became the basis for the social and political philosophies of, Rousseau, Voltaire, and the founding fathers of the United States, especially Hamilton, Jefferson, and Madison. In the first treatise, Locke aims to refute the doctrine of the patriarchal and absolute right of the divine right of kings doctrine put forth by Robert Filmer's Patriarcha. He examines key biblical passages to prove that scripture does not support Filmer's premise. The second treatise offers Locke's positive theory of government, in which he establishes a theory that reconciles the liberty of the citizen with political order. His basic premise is founded on the independence of the individual. He declares that men are born free and equal in their rights and that wealth is the product of labor. In his revolutionary theory of the social contract he proposes that a legitimate government must preserve the rights to life, liberty, health and property of its citizens, and prosecute and punish those in violation of those rights--From publisher description
Early works to 1800
358 pages ; 23 cm
9781584776024, 1584776021
57405943
The introduction
Of paternal and regal power
Of Adam's title to sovereignty, by creation
Of Adam's title to sovereignty, by donation, Gen. 1.28
Of Adam's title to sovereignty, by the subjection of Eve
Of Adam's title to sovereignty, by fatherhood
Of fatherhood and propriety, confider'd together as fountains of sovereignty
Of the conveyance of Adam's sovereign monarchical power
Of monarchy, by inheritance from Adam
Of the heir to monarchical power of Adam