In this, the second of his Two Treatises of Government, John Locke examines humankind’s transition from its original state of nature to a civil society. One can see the lasting influence of Locke’s ideas through their familiarity to the modern reader—the roots of classical liberalism are here, and many of Locke’s arguments foreshadow contemporary debates concerning government, liberty, and property rights.

統治二論――前篇では、ロバート・フィルマー卿とその追随者の誤まれる諸原理と基礎が検討され覆され、後篇は、世俗的統治の真の起源と領域と目的とに関する論文である。