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Philosophy Political Video Link

Locke’s Second Treatise, Chapter 15, Analysis and Critique

Chapter 15 is mostly a short summary and restatement of Locke’s definitions of three different types of power.

However, there are a few nuggets of new ideas here:

1) Locke’s conception of “Despotical” power is not universally negative, as our use of despotic typically is today

2) The three different types of legitimate power here can be distinguished by how they occur: paternal by nature, political by consent, and despotical by forfeiture (due to legitimate self defense against an unjust invader)

3) The three different types of power differ in who they operate on: paternal operates between someone with property (the parent) on someone who is not yet capable of managing property, but will be eventually (the child); political operates between property holders; and despotical operates from a property owner upon one who has been stripped of the right to property.

This video is available on Odysee, YouTube, and BitChute.

Intro music adapted from a piece by Dvir Silver, courtesy Pixabay:
https://pixabay.com/users/sonican-38947841/

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