What essays did john locke write the second treatise

The Second Treatise of Government was published amidst the turmoil and upheaval of lateth century English politics. In when it anonymously entered the canon of great works of political theory, the absolute monarch King James II had been deposed two years previous and William and Mary were now jointly ruling the kingdom.

Two treatises of government meaning

Many scholars initially believed that Locke composed the Two Treatises of Government in while he was in exile in Holland. This seems convincing; it contains a statement that dates itself to that year, and the themes of the work seem to justify the political events. However, serious scholarly work has since shown that the work cannot have been completed in even though certain small portions were added during that period.

The bulk of the text was comprised nearly a decade earlier and was a call for a revolution to take place, not a rationalization for one that had just occurred. The Second Treatise is one of the most significant and influential works of political theory ever published. What is most striking about this is that Locke never acknowledged it as his work during his lifetime only in his will.

During his lifetime he was known primarily as the author of An Essay Concerning Human Understanding ; this work secured his intellectual fame and the prominence of his later published work. Presumably, he did not want to acknowledge authorship in the event that James II returned from exile and reclaimed the throne, but the reasons will never be clear.

Regardless of why he kept it anonymous, the Two Treatises , particularly the Second , is a monumental achievement, and Locke would no doubt be surprised and pleased with the attention it has garnered over the centuries.