Name: Second Treatise of Government
ISBN: 9781790911714

Second Treatise of Government

CHAPTER. I.AN ESSAY CONCERNING THE TRUE ORIGINAL, EXTENT AND END OF CIVILGOVERNMENTSect. 1. It having been shewn in the foregoing discourse,(1). That Adam had not, either by natural right of fatherhood, or bypositive donation from God, any such authority over his children, ordominion over the world, as is pretended:(2). That if he had, his heirs, yet, had no right to it:(3). That if his heirs had, there being no law of nature nor positivelaw of God that determines which is the right heir in all cases that mayarise, the right of succession, and consequently of bearing rule, couldnot have been certainly determined:(4). That if even that had been determined, yet the knowledge of whichis the eldest line of Adam's posterity, being so long since utterlylost, that in the races of mankind and families of the world, thereremains not to one above another, the least pretence to be the eldesthouse, and to have the right of inheritance:All these premises having, as I think, been clearly made out, it isimpossible that the rulers now on earth should make any benefit, orderive any the least shadow of authority from that, which is held to bethe fountain of all power, Adam's private dominion and paternaljurisdiction; so that he that will not give just occasion to think thatall government in the world is the product only of force and violence,and that men live together by no other rules but that of beasts, wherethe strongest carries it, and so lay a foundation for perpetual disorderand…

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bmmayer1Sep 2019

Economics:

- The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith

- Das Kapital, Karl Marx

- That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, Frederic Bastiat

Philosophy / Politics:

- The Republic, Plato

- Second Treatise on Government, John Locke

- The Law, Frederic Bastiat

- Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes

- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius

- Democracy in America, Alexis de Toqueville

- On Liberty, John Stuart Mill

Fiction:

- The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain

- The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin

- Metamorphoses, Franz Kafka

- Candide, Voltaire

- The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas

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cikSep 2019

The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith

On the Duty of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

Second Treatise on Government, John Locke

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freedombenApr 2018

If you want a more gentle introduction, I recommend (in no particular order):

  1.  This website:  https://www.philosophybasics.com/

  2.  The "Philosophize This" podcast (start at the beginning)

  3.  The "Philosophers in 90 minutes" series (I recommend going in chronological order since most philosophers build on the work of previous philosophers)

  4.  "The Philosophy Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained": https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/0756668611/

For a very thorough and newcomer friendly introduction:

  1.  The HoPWaG (History of Philosophy Without any Gaps) podcast:  https://historyofphilosophy.net/

When you're ready for more deep dive, or if you like to start out sprinting:

  1.  Introduction to Greek Philosophy (yes it's an "intro" course but it's amazing and pretty deep.  Highly recommended even if you are mostly interested in modern philosophy): 
 https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/introduction-to-greek-philosophy.html

  2.  The Modern Intellectual Tradition - Descartes to Derrida:  https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/modern-intellectual-tradition-from-descartes-to-derrida.html

  3.  The Modern Political Tradition - Hobbes to Habermas:  https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/the-modern-political-tradition-hobbes-to-habermas.html

  4.  A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell:  https://smile.amazon.com/History-Western-Philosophy-Bertrand-Russell/dp/0671201581

  5.  European Thought & Culture in the {19,20}th Century:  https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/european-thought-and-culture-in-the-19th-century.html  and  https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/european-thought-and-culture-in-the-20th-century.html

  6.  Great Minds of the Western Intellectual Tradition (honestly not my favorite, but it covers a lot of ground):  https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/great-minds-of-the-western-intellectual-tradition-3rd-edition.html

  7.  Original Sources!  Especially:

    A.  John Locke's Second Treatise of Government

    B.  Descartes First Meditation (this will blow your mind)

    C.  Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason

    D.  Kant's Metaphysics of Morals

    E.  If you are into politics and/or economics (if you really try to understand these books, you may come away having no idea what your political leanings are): 

      1.  Karl Marx - Communist Manifesto, and Das Kapital

      2.  Ludwig von Mises - Socialism, and Human Action

      3.  Hayek - Road to Serfdom

Those are some of my favorites. There is a giant queue I have left to read, and I've also left off some good ones.

There are quite a few additional books and Great Courses that I can also recommend if you're interested.

NOTE: Don't pay full price for a Great Courses course. They go on sale a couple times a year, so just keep an eye on them until they are 70-90% off. Also if you buy through their website they are DRM free.

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ameister14Nov 2014

There are a lot of books you should read about this stuff; it'll make you more educated on it than any reply here can.

I'd start with Rousseau's 'The Social Contract,' Locke's second treatise on government, Hobbes' 'Leviathan', John Stuart Mill's 'On Utilitarianism,' Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, and Hume's Political Discourses.

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wisslerJul 2012

If you are genuinely curious then read some political theory. Such as John Locke's second treatise on government, and "For Individual Rights" (see Amazon).

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bkoAug 2026

“Where there is no law, there is no freedom.”

John Locke, Second Treatise of Government (1689)

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