Week 3.2: John Locke, Second Treatise on Government

Georges Lacombe, Chestnut Gatherers (1893)

John Locke (1632-1704) was a British philosopher, Oxford academic and medical researcher. Locke's monumental An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689) is one of the first great defenses of empiricism and concerns itself with determining the limits of human understanding in respect to a wide spectrum of topics. It thus tells us in some detail what one can legitimately claim to know and what one cannot. Among Locke's political works he is most famous for The Second Treatise of Government in which he argues that sovereignty resides in the people and explains the nature of legitimate government in terms of natural rights and the social contract. He is also famous for calling for the separation of Church and State in his Letter Concerning Toleration. Much of Locke's work is characterized by opposition to authoritarianism. This is apparent both on the level of the individual person and on the level of institutions such as government and church. For the individual, Locke wants each of us to use reason to search after truth rather than simply accept the opinion of authorities or be subject to superstition. He wants us to proportion assent to propositions to the evidence for them. On the level of institutions it becomes important to distinguish the legitimate from the illegitimate functions of institutions and to make the corresponding distinction for the uses of force by these institutions. Locke believes that using reason to try to grasp the truth, and determine the legitimate functions of institutions will optimize human flourishing for the individual and society both in respect to its material and spiritual welfare. This in turn, amounts to following natural law and the fulfillment of the divine purpose for humanity. (adapted from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Reading:
John Locke, "The Second Treatise of Government" (395-404) 
Viewing: Georges Lacombe, Chestnut Gatherers (1893)
Review: Debate Assignment
Today's Reading Can Be Found in Our Course Packet

 Study Questions:
1. What is Locke's theory of property? How does this relate to the founding of political communities? 

2. What is the connection between his assumptions about property and slavery? 

3. What does the debate assignment ask you to do? What questions do you have?