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PART II

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2012

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Summary

‘…the original freedom of mankind being supposed, every man is at liberty to be of what kingdom he please, and so every petty company hath a right to make a kingdom by itself; and not only every city, but every village, and every family, nay, and every particular man, a liberty to choose himself to be his own King if he please; and he were a madman that being by nature free, would choose any man but himself to be his own governor. Thus to avoid the having but of one King of the whole world, we shall run into a liberty of having as many Kings as there be men in the world…’

Sir Robert Filmer (Patriarcha and other Political Works of Sir Robert Filmer, ed. Peter Laslett (Oxford, 1949), p. 286)

‘'Tis true (who would have his conscience imposed upon?) and 'tis as true, who would pay taxes? who would be poor? who almost would not be a prince?’

John Locke (Two Tracts on Government, p. 138)

‘If Man in the State of Nature be so free…Why will he give up this Empire, and subject himself to the Dominion and Controul of any other Power? To which 'tis obvious to Answer, that though in the state of Nature he hath such a right, yet the Enjoyment of it is very uncertain, and constantly exposed to the Invasion of others. For all being Kings as much as he, every Man his Equal, and the greater part no strict Observers of Equity and Justice, the enjoyment of the property he has in this state is very unsafe, very unsecure.’

John Locke (Two Treatises of Government, ii, § 123)
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The Political Thought of John Locke
An Historical Account of the Argument of the 'Two Treatises of Government'
, pp. 41 - 42
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1969

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  • PART II
  • John Dunn
  • Book: The Political Thought of John Locke
  • Online publication: 05 April 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511558436.008
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  • PART II
  • John Dunn
  • Book: The Political Thought of John Locke
  • Online publication: 05 April 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511558436.008
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • PART II
  • John Dunn
  • Book: The Political Thought of John Locke
  • Online publication: 05 April 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511558436.008
Available formats
×