Free Essay on Analysis of the Second Treatise of Government by John Locke

The Second Treatise of the Government revolves around the concept of the power of the government and liberalization of the society which makes Locke have a common concern about how the society can be improved and liberalized from governmental brutalities (Locke, 1980). John Locke is one of the famous philosophers who strives to give men and women of the society a piece of demonstrating and enjoying their rights and freedoms by examining various sections of the society that need the clear identity of themselves like man, the government and the state. Moreover, throughout the book, he majorly advocates and protests on behalf of society against unjust ruling subjected to society (Locke, 1980).

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Locke advocates for various political spectrum by first giving the society an insight into the idea of government consent. He asserts," a society only exist when men take part in the formation of the government at their will" this means that men cannot be forced into submitting to a faulty and lousy government, the act must be voluntary (Locke, 1980). Therefore, the main purpose of forming the government is to form compactness and invest power to protect life and property of the society not of the interest of few minorities in power. Hence the society gives power to the government which, Locke asserts as the trust bestowed on the government; however, this does not always hold in most circumstances.

Moreover, Locke also emphasizes on the concept of man's state of nature and explains that the state of nature is the root of men residence before they finally agree to form a government. This concept has been illustrated throughout the book to bring a clear meaning and understanding of the natural God-given state of a man. He asserts that "the God-given state of men is natural, which differs with that of the society." Therefore, in the natural state, the society is governed by reasoning and by seeking such good virtues as the preservation of humankind, liberty, possession, and respect for other men's lives (Locke, 1980). Notably, he explains that, if any man applies force against another man, then a state of war will no doubt exist in the society and thus the transgressor ought to be punished since he has violated the law of nature by bringing discontent into the society.

Lastly, Locke dwells on the concept of equality and the limitation of power. He reveals that "men are created equal" this means that, members of the society should be subjected to equal privileges and associated benefit of the government and no any form of discrimination in terms of race and color should exist. He believes that it is only God who is in a sole position of creating difference upon men and age and virtue may only give men just precedence. Moreover, power should be limited; he disapproves the formation of absolute monarchy governments and reveals how commonwealths ruled by authorities are still subject to various limitations. Hence power should be limited by clearly making the laws standing and applicable to all citizens. No one is above the law

Conclusion

In conclusion, liberalism should be a debate of the past since many societies, government and thinkers such as John Locke believe that governments should be all inclusive and involves the cooperation of everyone at hand. This can be achieved by practicing such doctrines as equality and limiting the power of the government and giving priority to the consent of the governed.

Reference

Locke, J. (1980). Second Treatise of Government e.d McPherson Indianapolis.