From the State of Nature to Government
In the late 1600s, the English philosopher John Locke wrote a famous book called Second Treatise of Government. In it, he asked an important question: if people are born free, why would they ever give up some of their freedom and live under a government?
Locke said that in a “state of nature,” people are free and equal. Each person is the “lord” of his or her own life and property. No one is born with the right to rule over others. However, life in this natural condition is not always safe. There is no clear law, no neutral judge, and no strong power to protect people. Because of this, people’s rights and property are always in danger.
According to Locke, this makes people willing to leave the state of nature. They decide to join together in a society to protect their “lives, liberties, and estates,” which he calls property. The main reason people create a government is to better protect this property. In the state of nature, there are many things missing that are needed for real safety.
First, there is no settled, known law that everyone agrees on. Even if the “law of nature” tells people to be fair, many people are selfish or ignorant. They may not accept that law when it goes against their own interests. Second, there is no neutral judge with the power to decide conflicts. In the state of nature, each person acts as judge in his or her own case, which often leads to anger, unfairness, and revenge.
Third, there is no strong power to carry out fair decisions. Even if someone is clearly wrong, that person may use force to protect their injustice. Punishing them can be dangerous for the person who tries. To avoid these problems, people agree to form a community and create a government. When individuals freely join together, they become one “body politic” — one political body — and the majority then has the right to make decisions for the whole group. For Locke, a government is justified only because it protects the people’s rights better than the state of nature does.
Vocabulary List
- state of nature — A situation with no government or laws, where people live completely free.
- property — Things that belong to a person, such as land, money, or possessions.
- liberty — The freedom to act or think without unfair control.
- society — A community of people living together under rules and relationships.
- commonwealth — A group of people joined together under one government for the common good.
- neutral judge — A fair person who decides a disagreement without taking sides.
- revenge — Punishing someone because of anger or hurt, not because of fair law.
- community — A group of people who live together or share interests and rules.
- body politic — All the people in a nation seen as one political group.
- majority — More than half of the people in a group.
Comprehension Questions
- According to Locke, what is the “state of nature” like for people?
- Why do people decide to leave the state of nature and form a government?
- What three important things are missing in the state of nature?
- What does Locke mean by “property,” and why is it important?
- What is a “body politic,” and how does the majority gain the right to rule?