Second Treatise of Government Summary & Key Insights

John Locke's Second Treatise of Government, analyzed extensively by C.B. Macpherson and others, doesn't present a traditional narrative with characters in the way a novel does. Instead, it's a philosophical treatise arguing for a specific form of government based on natural rights and social contract theory. The "characters" are abstract entities: individuals in a state of nature, and the collective body politic forming a government.

The main plot, if one can call it that, is Locke's dismantling of the divine right of kings and the construction of a justification for limited government based on individual liberty. He begins by examining the state of nature, a hypothetical pre-political condition where individuals possess natural rights, primarily the rights to life, liberty, and property. This state isn't chaotic, as some critics claim, but governed by natural law – reason dictates that individuals shouldn't harm others in their life, liberty, or possessions.

However, the state of nature lacks an impartial judge and an effective means of enforcing these rights. To remedy this, individuals enter into a social contract, agreeing to form a government that protects their natural rights. This contract isn't a surrender of individual liberty but a delegation of certain powers necessary to ensure security and order. Crucially, Locke emphasizes that governmental power is limited and conditional. The government's legitimacy rests on its ability to uphold the trust placed in it by the people. If it fails to protect individual rights or violates the contract, the people have a right to alter or abolish it. This right of revolution is a central theme, highlighting that sovereignty ultimately resides in the people, not the ruler.

Locke's concept of property is fundamental to his argument. He argues that property isn't merely material possessions but extends to one's own body and the fruits of one's labor. The acquisition of property, through mixing one's labor with natural resources, is a natural right. This concept, while insightful, has also been subject to criticism for its potential to justify inequality.

Macpherson, in his interpretations, often highlights the potential contradictions within Locke's thought, particularly concerning the implications of property rights and their compatibility with genuine equality. However, the core of Locke's argument remains his powerful case for limited government, individual liberty, and the right of the people to resist tyranny – ideas that have profoundly shaped liberal political thought and revolutions across the globe. The "plot" is therefore the logical progression of this argument, establishing a foundation for a just and free society based on the consent of the governed and the protection of natural rights.