Two Treatises of Government - Hardcover

Locke, John

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9781584776024: Two Treatises of Government
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 1584776021 ISBN 13: 9781584776024
Publisher: Lawbook Exchange, Ltd., 2010

Synopsis

Published after the Glorious Revolution of 1688 brought William of Orange and Mary to the throne, but written in the throes of the Whig revolutionary plots against Charles II in the early 1680s, John Locke offers a theory of natural law and natural rights which distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate civil governments, and argues for the legitimacy of revolt against tyrannical governments. These radical ideas remain influential today. In these two treatises the political philosopher John Locke espouses radical theories which influenced the ideologies of the American and French revolutions, and became the basis for the social and political philosophies of Rousseau, Voltaire and the United States founding fathers. In the first treatise Locke aims to refute the doctrine of the patriarchal and absolute right of the Divine Right of Kings doctrine put forth by Sir Robert Filmer's Patriarcha. He examines key Biblical passages to prove that scripture does not support Filmer's premise. The second treatise offers Locke's positive theory of government in which he establishes a theory which reconciles the liberty of the citizen with political order. His basic premise is founded on the independence of the individual. He declares that men are born free and equal in their rights and that wealth is the product of labor. In his revolutionary theory of the social contract he proposes that a legitimate civil government must preserve the rights to life, liberty, health and property of its citizens, and prosecute and punish those in violation of those rights. Reprint of the 1698 third edition.

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About the Author

JOHN LOCKE [1632-1704], a leading philosopher of the Enlightenment, is widely considered to be the father of liberalism. He was initially trained as a physician, receiving a doctorate in medicine at Oxford. He was an important influence on Montesquieu, Rousseau, Voltaire and the founding fathers of the United States, especially Hamilton, Jefferson and Madison.

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Publisher
Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.
Publication date
2010
Language
English
ISBN 10 
1584776021
ISBN 13 
9781584776024
Binding
Hardcover
Number of pages
368
Rating
  • 3.87 out of 5 stars
    19,728 ratings by Goodreads

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9781616190347: Two Treatises of Government

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ISBN 10:  1616190345 ISBN 13:  9781616190347
Publisher: Lawbook Exchange, Ltd., 2010
Softcover