Freedom and consent in the political thought of John Locke

Summary

The author studies the mature political thought of John Locke, contained especially in the Second Treatise of Government, to trace two keys to his conception of the origin of the State and political regimes. These keys are freedom and consent. Locke maintains the natural freedom of the person as the foundation of politically organized society. The thesis that the author presents argues that this freedom is expressed as a pact or contract to establish the political society or State and as a majority decision to adopt a political or government regime. In light of these two modalities of consent, the author analyzes their effects on political society and the political regime.