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John Locke

Second Treatise of Government (Hackett Classics)

by John Locke (Author), C. B. Macpherson (Editor)

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Second Treatise of Government: Concerning The True Original, Extent, and End of Civil Government
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The Second Treatise is one of the most important political treatises ever written and one of the most far-reaching in its influence.

In his provocative 15-page introduction to this edition, the late eminent political theorist C. B. Macpherson examines Locke's arguments for limited, conditional government, private property, and right of revolution and suggests reasons for the appeal of these arguments in Locke's time and since.

ISBN-10

0915144867
ISBN-13

978-0915144860
Publisher

Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Publication date

June 1, 1980
Language

English
Dimensions

5.38 x 0.28 x 8.5 inches
Print length

124 pages
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Macpherson provides for his readers a tightly written, meaty, and often invigorating critical assessment of Locke's argument. In it one finds some of the best of Macpherson's now famous criticism of liberal-democratic government. --Gregory E. Pyrcz in Canadian Philosophical Review

About the Author

Philosopher, son of a landsteward, was born at Wrington, near Bristol, and educated at Westminster School and Oxford. In 1660 Locke became lecturer on Greek, in 1662 on Rhetoric, and in 1664 he went as secretary to an Embassy to Brandenburg. While a student he turned from the subtleties of Aristotle and the schoolmen, had studied Descartes and Bacon. Then, becoming attracted to experimental science, studied medicine, and practiced a little in Oxford. His mind had been much exercised by questions of morals and government, and in 1667 he wrote his Essay on Toleration. If not a very profound or original philosopher Locke was a calm, sensible, and reasonable writer, and his books were very influential on the English thought of his day, as well as on the French philosophy of the next century. His style is plain and clear, but lacking in brightness and variety.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. (June 1, 1980)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 124 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0915144867
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0915144860
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.38 x 0.28 x 8.5 inches

Customer Reviews:
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4.5 out of 5

427 global ratings

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J. Edgar Mihelic, MA, MA, MBA

The 17th Century's State of the Art Government Philosophy

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 14, 2022

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I’ve read a couple of things recently from enlightenment-era political philosophers that start from some supposed state of nature but their idea of a state of nature is wrong from what we know of anthropology. I’m not sure if this entirely invalidates Locke here or Rousseau elsewhere.

A couple of things here that strike me. What Locke in this work was doing was basically writing in support of the status quo. But I find it weird that a hundred years later the framers in the colonies went and took his defense of a constitutional monarchy and then adjusted it a bit for a somewhat representative democracy.

There’s a lot of assumptions built in here that go unquestioned from what a “just” war is to slavery to patrilineal inheritance that probably should be unpacked a bit but are not.

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Sonny Laskin

Read to Learn about the Provenances of the Concepts and Ideas of Liberty and Rights of the People of our Modern Day Democracies

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 22, 2017

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Good book to learn about how current western systems of government evolved into how it is today from overreaching power of monarchical forms of government over the populace that existed in Western Europe during Locke's time. Locke's concepts of limited government, basic human liberties, private property, consent of the governed and the right to revolutionize against overreaching monarchs formed the basis of revolutions in the 18th & 19th centuries to form our Western civilization's methods and forms of democracy today albeit towards an oligarchical direction. Though I do have to demure to the fact that Locke viewed a slave as having liberty as long as the slaveowner did'nt murder or ill treat the slave beyond the boundaries of the slavery contract. I chalk up this tripe viewpoint up to more a reflection on the inured society to slavery during Locke's age than a reflection on Locke himself. Essential to these antecedent revolutions after Locke was Locke's concept in the second treatise of the consent of the governed to be ruled. It formed and fomented these revolutions to form our present day western democracies. It was nice to read about the thoughts of the grandfather of today's democracies. Only issue I had was it takes a little time and effort to get used to Locke's renaissance English but I think CB Macpherson did an overall good job in editing this book.

7 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Great Product!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 17, 2021

Great Product!

Classic philosophy book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 15, 2020

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Classic philosophy book, a good book for philosophy fans.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 6, 2020

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As described

One person found this helpful

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Sextus Empiricus

If you can read through it, you should...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 26, 2011

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This book is one of the foundations of the United States as they were created, and one of the reasons they were so much more successful than other nations in recent history. If you care about history, philosophy or economics, this book is a must read.

The only problem is that reading it is not easy - the writing style is perhaps as tedious as it can possibly get. The syntax serves as a barrier on entry to those who aren't persistent enough to get through it.

8 people found this helpful

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Dr. Z

A must read for students of American politics!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 20, 2015

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This is perhaps one of the most important works of political theory ever written. Anyone studying the foundation of American politics and government must read this short classic work. Perhaps, more than any other individual, Locke’s influence upon the Founding Fathers and modern American government was prolific and eternal.

5 people found this helpful

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Steven H.

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 1, 2018

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Needed it for school

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William Houston

Work that led to the proposition that politicians are servants of the people

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 3, 2014

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Locke was one of the very few who took away from the English Civil War that there needed to be a relationship between the government and those governed that the nation would be govern to the benefit of the people. His work was incorporated into The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of the US.

One person found this helpful

Mr A J Bird

great

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 6, 2013

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arrived on time well packed and being a course book i know i can rely on the site to get my materials through

Karrie P

Used for university class

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 22, 2022

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