Major sections: Historical Background and Locke's Life - The Limits of Human Understanding - Locke's Major Works on Education - The Two Treatises Of Government - Locke and Religious Toleration - Bibliography - Other Internet Resources

Two Treatises of Government (full title: Two Treatises of Government: In the Former, The False Principles, and Foundation of Sir Robert Filmer, and his Followers, are Detected and Overthrown. The Latter is an Essay Concerning the True Original, Extent, and End of Civil Government) is a work of political philosophy published anonymously in 1689 by John Locke. The First Treatise attacks patriarchalism in the form of sentence-by-sentence refutation of Robert Filmer's Patriarcha, while the Second Treatise outlines Locke's ideas for a more civilized society based on natural rights and contract theory. The book is a key foundational text in the theory of liberalism.
Table of Contents
The Preface. | A2 | |
Book I. | ||
The Introduction | ||
Of Paternal and Regal Power | ||
Chap. I. | Of Adam’s Title to Sovereignty, by Creation | 1 |
Chap. II. | Of Adam’s Title to Sovereignty, by Donation | 6 |
Chap. III. | Of Adam’s Title to Sovereignty, by the Subjection of Eve | 18 |
Chap. IV. | Of Adam’s Title to Sovereignty, by Fatherhood | 27 |
Chap. V. | Of Fatherhood and Propriety, consider'd together as Fountains of Sovereignty | 55 |
Chap. VI. | Of the Conveyance of Adam’s Sovereign Monarchical Power | 64 |
Chap. VII. | Of Monarchy, by Inheritance from Adam | 94 |
Chap. VIII. | Of the Heir to the Monarchical Power of Adam | 103 |
Chap. IX. | Who Heir? | 107 |
Chap. X. | Book II. | 132 |
Chap. XI. | The Introduction | 136 |
Of the State of Nature | ||
Chap. I. | Of the State of War | 217 |
Chap. II. | Of Slavery | 220 |
Chap. III. | Of Property | 235 |
Chap. IV. | Of Paternal Power | 241 |
Chap. V. | Of Political, or Civil Power | 243 |
Chap. VI. | Of the Beginning of Political Societies | 271 |
Chap. VII. | Of the Ends of Political Society and Government | 297 |
Chap. VIII. | Of the Forms of a Commonwealth | 316 |
Chap. IX. | Of the Extent of the Legislative Power | 345 |
Chap. X. | Of the Legislative, Executive, and Federative Power of the Commonwealth | 351 |
Chap. XI. | Of the Subordination of the Powers of the Commonwealth | 353 |
Chap. XII. | Of Prerogative | 365 |
Chap. XIII. | Of Paternal, Political, and Despotical Power, considered together | 369 |
Chap. XIV. | Of Conquest | 382 |
Chap. XV. | Of Usurpation | 392 |
Chap. XVI. | Of Tyranny | 397 |
Chap. XVII. | Of the Dissolution of Government | 418 |
Chap. XVIII. | The Contents of Book I. | 420 |
Chap. XIX. | The Contents of Book II. | 432 |
Articles
Major sections: Historical Background and Locke's Life - The Limits of Human Understanding - Locke's Major Works on Education - The Two Treatises Of Government - Locke and Religious Toleration - Bibliography - Other Internet Resources
Extensive biographical essay, including summaries of his major works
Biographical and bibliographical essay
Second module of the Cato Home Study Course, includes link to listen or download audio program (2:41:50), questions and suggested readings
John Locke, Two Treatises of Government. Although a variety of editions of this classic work are available, the most highly recommended is the one edited by Peter Laslett, which provides useful notes and an introduction. The Second Treatise is well worth reading in its entirety, both to appreciate the logic of its arguments and to experience for oneself the rigor of Locke's libertarian, or Whig, arguments for liberty.
Based on a 1994 list composed by Rothbard himself and titled "Books That Formed Me"
Books
Partial contents: Of the State of Nature - Of the State of War - Of Slavery - Of Property - Of Paternal Power - Of Political or Civil Society - Of the Beginning of Political Societies - Of Conquest - Of Tyranny - Of the Dissolution of Government
- ISBN 0879753374: Paperback, Prometheus Books, 1986
The introductory paragraph uses material from the Wikipedia article "Two Treatises of Government" as of 12 Mar 2025, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.