Wrapping up my examination and critique of Locke’s Second Treatise, I focus here on where Locke’s framework fails to achieve his stated goals, and why.
I identify four fundamentals of Lockean government that are reasonably compatible with voluntary society:
- No man his own judge
- Government by consent, as agent of the governed
- Government powers limited, ostensibly by Laws of Reason
- The rights of the people to resist tyrants and usurpers
…And five which are largely incompatible:
- Majority rule-making
- Dominion
- Non-severability of membership in society
- Prerogative
- Lack of clarity of Laws of Reason
Of the four which are reasonably compatible, I explain where they fall short and how they might be changed to better achieve Locke’s stated goals.
For the five incompatible, I provide details as to why and what might be expected to work instead of them.
In summation, Locke took a huge step forward against government by “might makes right,” and hit upon several useful ideals for measuring a society against the voluntary ideal. However, he was either too restrained by worries that he might end up like Algernon Sidney, or too accustomed to the usual forms of government of his time to allow for the flexibility inherent in voluntary society.
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Intro music edited from a piece by Amaksi, courtesy Pixabay:
https://pixabay.com/users/amaksi-28332361/