Core 201 - Locke "Second Treatise" Pt2

Summary

The lecture continues an introduction to John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government, focusing on why people form political societies, how government should be organized, and where ultimate political authority lies.

Why people leave the state of nature

Locke’s state of nature is relatively peaceful compared with Hobbes’s account: people are naturally free and equal, and should preserve and assist one another. But it is not secure. People’s lives, liberties, and possessions remain vulnerable because there is no dependable public authority to protect them.

Locke describes the central purpose—or “end”—of political society as preserving people’s property. The lecturer emphasizes that Locke uses property broadly: it includes not only land and possessions, but also people’s lives and natural liberties. Society offers collective protection, mutual assistance, and the benefits of cooperation, trade, and shared work.

What people need from government

To gain those benefits, people agree to give up some of their natural freedom to pursue justice or defend themselves however they choose. In return, they receive the protection and support of the community. The lecturer stresses that this is a reciprocal arrangement: everyone accepts the same restrictions, so no one is uniquely deprived of the ability to act freely.

Locke’s account of a functioning political society calls for:

• Known, settled laws: Rules should be established, publicly known, and accepted as the common standard for deciding right and wrong.
• An impartial judge: Disputes need to be decided by someone with authority who applies the established laws fairly.
• Power to enforce decisions: Laws and judgments need practical backing so that sentences can be carried out.

In the state of nature, individuals act as their own judges and enforcers. In society, they hand over much of that authority to public institutions.

Dividing government’s powers

Locke discusses three forms of governmental power:

• Legislative power: Makes laws and directs the commonwealth’s force toward preserving the community. Those who make laws are themselves subject to them when they return to private life.
• Executive power: Ensures that laws are continuously enforced, including when the legislature is not in session.
• Federative power: Handles external affairs, including war, peace, alliances, and dealings with people or communities outside the commonwealth.

The lecturer explains that Locke favors separating the power to make laws from the power to execute them. If the same people control both, they may design laws to benefit themselves or evade the rules they impose on others. Locke distinguishes executive and federative functions, but recognizes that placing them in entirely separate hands could be impractical or produce conflict. The lecture says these powers are therefore combined in the system familiar to the United States.

The people remain the ultimate authority

The legislature is the highest governing power while the government is operating, but it is not the ultimate authority. That remains with the community—the people. If representatives betray the trust placed in them or act against citizens’ liberties and property, the people retain the power to remove or alter the legislature. Voting is therefore presented as both a political right and a means of self-preservation.

The legislature also has ways to hold the executive accountable. The lecturer connects Locke’s argument to impeachment: an executive who misuses authority may be removed through legislative action.

The executive has a role in arranging or calling legislative elections, but this authority is a trust held for the people’s safety, not a basis for executive superiority. If an executive uses force or other means to obstruct elections or prevent the legislature from functioning, Locke treats this as a fundamental breach of trust and a state of war with the people. The lecture emphasizes Locke’s argument that people may resist force used against them without legitimate authority, including by force when necessary.

Representation and the welfare of the people

Political representation should reflect changes in the population. As towns and regions grow or decline, their representation may become unequal unless it is adjusted. The lecturer connects this point to modern debates over representation, including the Electoral College.

The lecture closes with Locke’s principle commonly expressed as “the welfare of the people is the supreme law.” Government should be judged by whether it serves the public good. Fair elections and representation that reflect the people’s will are presented as essential to a healthy political society.

Speakers and sources featured

• Speaker: One lecturer, unnamed in the subtitles.
• Primary text discussed: John Locke, Two Treatises of Government, especially chapters 9, 12, and 13 of the Second Treatise.
• Other thinkers mentioned for comparison: Thomas Hobbes, Aristotle, and Montesquieu.
• Documents and institutions referenced: The U.S. Constitution, including Article I and Article II; impeachment; and the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA).
• Other examples mentioned by the lecturer: The Philippines, Georgia, and the Electoral College.