Second Treatise of Government and a Letter Concerning Toleration

Second Treatise of Government and a Letter Concerning Toleration'Man being born to perfect freedom hath by nature a power to preserve his property, that is, his life, liberty and estate.' Locke's Second Treatise of Government (1689) is one of the great classics of political philosophy, widely regarded as the foundational text of modern liberalism. In it Locke insists on majority rule, and regards no government as legitimate unless it has the consent of the people. He sets aside people's ethnicities, religions, and

'Man being born...to perfect freedom...hath by nature a power...to preserve his property, that is, his life, liberty and estate.'

Locke's Second Treatise of Government (1689) is one of the great classics of political philosophy, widely regarded as the foundational text of modern liberalism. In it Locke insists on majority rule, and regards no government as legitimate unless it has the consent of the people. He sets aside people's ethnicities, religions, and cultures and envisages political societies which command our assent because they meet our elemental needs simply as humans. His work helped to entrench ideas of a social contract, human rights, and protection of property as the guiding principles for just actions and just societies.

Published in the same year, A Letter Concerning Toleration aimed to end Christianity's wars of religion and called for the separation of church and state so that everyone could enjoy freedom of conscience. In this edition of these two major works, Mark Goldie considers the contested nature of Locke's reputation, which is often appropriated by opposing political and religious ideologies.

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Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 09/01/2016
ISBN: 9780198732440
Pages: 240
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 7.70h x 5.00w x 0.60d