The Nature of Government

John Locke, an influential early liberal English philosopher, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a brilliant political theorist and one of the main figures of the enlightenment, have a considerable importance in political thought, for which they are best known. The Second Treatise of Government by John Locke places sovereignty into the hands of people. Locke imagined an original state of nature in which individuals rely upon their own strength. His argument is that people are equal and …

…in common defining the nature and functions of government. They both view civil society built upon the natural rights common to people who need and welcome an executive power and who submit their natural freedoms to the common laws of the government, which, in return, protects their property and liberties. However, Rousseau extends the purposes of uniting and making civil laws, which serve to protect not only one’s property, but also the “unfortunate” ones.