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Submitted by kimarianna on September 16, 2007
Category: History Other
Words: 1211 | Pages: 5
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John Locke's Two Treatises of Government (1690) are essays which had an important influence on the development of modern concepts of democracy by arguing that all individuals have natural rights to freedom, independence, and political equality. The treatises deny that any individual has the right to exercise unlimited or absolute power over other individuals. The First Treatise attacks the theory of divine right monarchy which is presented by Sir Robert Fillmer in his Patriarcha, or the Natural Power of Kings (1680). This theory of the divine right of kings claims that kings rule by the will of God and that to oppose the power of kings is to disobey the will of God. Locke vigorously attacks this theory in the First Treatise, and describes in the Second Treatise how the powers of government may be used to protect the freedom and political equality of all individuals.
The Second Treatise is described on the title page of the Two Treatises as an essay which is concerned with the orign, extent, and purpose of civil government. The treatise describes the conditions under which a government may be established, and explains how a government may be based on a 'compact' or social contract in which the people of society exchange their natural rights for civil rights. The treatise discusses the duties and obligations of legislators and of other leaders of government, and describes the proper uses and limits of executive and legislative power. The treatise also describes the conditions under which a government may be dissolved by the people of a civil society if the government fails to protect their freedom and security.
Locke defines the 'state of nature' as an original condition preceding the development of society, and describes it as a state in which all individuals are perfectly free and equal. The 'state of nature' is governed by the 'law of nature,' and the 'law of nature' is that of reason. The 'law of reason' declares that all...
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