 Title page from the first edition | |
| Author | John Locke |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | None |
| Subject | Political philosophy, Liberalism, Classical liberalism |
| Publisher | Awnsham Churchill |
Publication date | 1689 (dated 1690) |
| Publication place | England |
| Media type | |
| Text | Two Treatises of Government at Wikisource |
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| John Locke |
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Two Treatises of Government (full title: 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) is a work of political philosophy published anonymously in 1689 by John Locke. The First Treatise attacks patriarchalism in the form of sentence-by-sentence refutation of Robert Filmer's Patriarcha, while the Second Treatise outlines Locke's ideas for a more civilized society based on natural rights and contract theory. The book is a key foundational text in the theory of liberalism.
This publication contrasts with former political works by Locke himself. In Two Tracts on Government, written in 1660, Locke defends a very conservative position; however, Locke never published it.[1] In 1669, Locke co-authored the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina, which endorses aristocracy, slavery and serfdom.[2][3] Some dispute the extent to which the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina portray Locke's own philosophy, vs. that of the Lord proprietors of the colony; the document was a legal document written for and signed and sealed by the eight Lord proprietors to whom Charles II of England had granted the colony. In this context, Locke was only a paid secretary, writing it much as a lawyer writes a will.
- ^ "John Locke – Biography, Treatises, Works, & Facts". britannica.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2017.
- ^ Armitage, David Armitage, D. (2004). John Locke, Carolina, and the two treatises of government. Political Theory, 32(5), 602–27. Archived 25 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Walbert, D. (2008). A little kingdom in Carolina" (PDF). davidwalbert.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 August 2017.