Second Treatise of Government

If human beings inhabit the state of nature continually, do they also in some way inhabit the state of war continually as well? Explaining your reasoning.

What are the key differences between a community and a political society? Use examples from the text to support your reasoning.

Describe Locke’s definition of property. How would you change it to fit the modern era?

Should a government be run like a household, with both paternal and maternal power? Why or why not? Does this happen in some way already?

Locke discusses how changes occur in a community over time, and how those changes must be met with proportional changes in the political society. Give three examples of changes that have occurred in your own country and how the current political society could be adapted to address them.

If, like Locke says, strong and ruthless conquerors don’t care about the rights of a population, do those rights still matter?

Discuss the differences between a conqueror and usurper, and describe one example of each.

Is tyranny the inevitable end of political societies, or can it be avoided before it occurs? Why is tyranny inevitable, or what measures can help prevent it?