Synthesized answer
Locke's stated purpose is to "establish the throne of our great restorer, our present King William; to make good his title, in the consent of the people" [1]. This immediate political agenda shapes his arguments by focusing on establishing the legitimacy of a ruler through popular consent. He asserts that consent of the people is the "only one of all lawful governments" [1]. This leads him to argue that governments are instituted for the "good of mankind" and the "safety and security" of the people, with the primary end being the preservation of property [3, 4]. He emphasizes that when rulers become "exorbitant in the use of their power," and employ it for the destruction, not preservation, of their people's properties, the people have grounds for opposition [4].
The implication for the universal applicability of his theories is that his emphasis on consent as the basis of lawful government and the preservation of property as the end of government provides a framework for judging the legitimacy of any government. However, the passages do not explicitly discuss the universal applicability of his theories beyond justifying the specific political situation in England at the time.…
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
the papers that should have filled up the middle, and were more than all the rest, it is not worth while to tell thee. These, which remain, I hope are sufficient to establish the throne of our great restorer, our present King William; to make good his title, in the consent of the people, which being the only one of all lawful governments, he has more fully and clearly, than any prince in Christendom; and to justify to the world the people of England, whose love of their just and natural rights, with their resolution to preserve them, saved the nation when it was on the very brink of…
st, That cavilling here and there, at some expression, or little incident of my discourse, is not an answer to my book. Secondly, That I shall not take railing for arguments, nor think either of these worth my notice, though I shall always look on myself as bound to give satisfaction to any one, who shall appear to be conscientiously scrupulous in the point, and shall shew any just grounds for his scruples. I have nothing more, but to advertise the reader, that Observations stands for Observations on Hobbs, Milton, &c. and that a bare quotation of pages always means pages of his…
that safety and security in civil society, for which it was first instituted, and for which only they entered into it. And therefore, though perhaps at first, (as shall be shewed more at large hereafter in the following part of this discourse) some one good and excellent man having got a pre-eminency amongst the rest, had this deference paid to his goodness and virtue, as to a kind of natural authority, that the chief rule, with arbitration of their differences, by a tacit consent devolved into his hands, without any other caution, but the assurance they had of his uprightness…
the inconveniences might happen, if they should offer to resist Polyphemus, who had now the power over them. Sect. 229. The end of government is the good of mankind; and which is best for mankind, that the people should be always exposed to the boundless will of tyranny, or that the rulers should be sometimes liable to be opposed, when they grow exorbitant in the use of their power, and employ it for the destruction, and not the preservation of the properties of their people? Sect. 230. Nor let any one say, that mischief can arise from hence, as often as it shall please a busy head, or…
of them, something very little favourable to the design they promote, and such a power as they contend for. Sect. 104. But to conclude, reason being plain on our side, that men are naturally free, and the examples of history shewing, that the governments of the world, that were begun in peace, had their beginning laid on that foundation, and were made by the consent of the people; there can be little room for doubt, either where the right is, or what has been the opinion, or practice of mankind, about the first erecting of governments. Sect. 105. I will not deny, that if we look back…
More questions about this book
- Locke states the lost middle papers "were more than all the rest" and contained a detailed refutation of Sir Robert Filmer. If these papers were rediscovered, how might their content alter or deepen our understanding of Locke's arguments in the "Second Treatise," particularly regarding the scope and nature of the challenges he sought to overcome?
- The preface mentions the English people "saved the nation when it was on the very brink of slavery and ruin." Without reading the core arguments of the Treatise, what fundamental assumptions about the nature of power, individual liberty, and the ultimate purpose of government can you infer Locke already holds, simply from this strong assertion?
- The title page states the work "DETECTED AND OVERTHROWN" the "FALSE PRINCIPLES AND FOUNDATION OF SIR ROBERT FILMER." Based solely on Locke's stated justification for King William's rule through "the consent of the people," how would you hypothesize the core difference between Filmer's "false principles" and Locke's "true original extent and end of Civil Government"?
- The text details various editions, collations, and Locke's "last Corrections and Improvements." How do these textual history details influence our approach to interpreting Locke's work, and what specific questions might a scholar ask about the evolution or stability of Locke's ideas given the existence of multiple authoritative versions?