John Locke and Classic Liberalism

A detailed Summary of John Locke and Classic Liberalism


To understand classic liberalism we must focus on Locke's idea of political power and his political model as well as his economic model. Locke defines political power as " a right of making laws with penalties of Death, and consequently all less penalties, for regulating and preserving property, and of employing the force of the community, in the execution of such laws, and in the defense of the common-wealth from foreign injury, and all this only for the Publick Good"(Wooten, #2). This idea of thought explains Locke's main idea in the Second Treatise of Government, that everything is best for the individual rather than for the community.

Locke's idea of politics starts off with a basis of men and freedom suggested to us in the law of nature. The buffer between man and brutes is the law of nature, which is a law of reason.

"Our faculty of reason is fitted to discover what that law says, what it measures and standards of conduct are (Yolton, 65). Men rise above these beasts only because of that faculty. It is through the law of nature, reason, and humanity that each one of us makes with " all the rest of Mankind...one community, makes up one society distinct from all other creatures" (1.#128).


3. "Locke, John." Brittanica Online Encyclopedia, 1999

The function and the purpose of Locke's civil society is protection of life, liberty, and possessions. An essential to making it work is trust between the government in the community and is in place of a ruler who fails to secure the public good. So the rulers authority is conditional rather than absolut. Each man establishes his right to property by "mixing his labour." So when everyone contributes to the community they in turn are given the fruits of everyone elses labor. He has the right to expect political power to be used to preserve his property, in his own person and in his possessions, and the right to freedom of thought, speech, and worship.

2. Yolton, John. Locke an Introduction Oxford, Blackwell, 1985.



Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1992
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

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