Two Treatises of Government and a Letter Concerning Toleration

Three of John Locke's finest works, which expound political and religious ideas revolutionary in their time, are presented together in this printing.

When Dutch monarch William of Orange ascended to the English throne in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, burning questions over the best form of governance for England were prominent among the intelligentsia of the era. It was a time when England grappled with incremental transition from monarchy to early forms of democracy and voting, where dynastic monarchy and religious theory still held power over the formation of the state and laws. In this changing climate, John Locke published his works.

In the first treatise of government Locke proceeds to attack and dissect his prominent contemporary Robert Filmer, who was broadly in favour of absolute monarchy under the principle of divine right. The allusions to the Biblical Adam, wherein the monarch can be intimated as a continuation of the first man ever created, are debunked by Locke who asserts that God never asserted that one man had province to rule over all other human beings. Supporting his argument with known history, Locke concludes that no king over the centuries had asserted to be the heir of Adam and thereby the rightful ruler of a country.

In the second treatise Locke turns to a different topic - the state of nature. He discusses how humanity behaved prior to the establishment of formal societies, and concludes that man - even without established government in place - had never been truly lawless even when freedom was at its farthest extent. Arguing against a tyranny of absolute monarchy, and acknowledging the advantages of humanity's freedom in its natural ungoverned state, Locke arrives at his conclusion: a democratically elected government, where humans are accorded freedoms but must conform to the rule of law, is the most advantageous type of government.

A Letter Concerning Toleration was composed by Locke in response to fears that Catholicism was resurgent in England. As an alternative, Locke proposes that the government practice toleration of all Christian creeds, noting that the more diverse the society the less fractious it will be. Examining history, Locke illustrates that denominations gain converts not through violence, but through persuasive discussion.

Lauded as monumental in political philosophy, John Locke's writings are a common requirement in educational courses concerning political science and philosophy to this day. While steeped in the historical realities of the late 17th century, the arguments Locke composes for a governance favorable to the people and their country's development were immensely influential on political theory during and after the Enlightenment era.