"For there are no examples so frequent in history, both sacred and profane,
as those of men withdrawing themselves, and their obedience, from the
jurisdiction they were born under [...], and setting up new governments in
other places; from whence sprang all the number of petty common-wealths in
the beginning of ages[....], till stronger, or more fortunate , swallowed
the weaker; and those great ones again breaking into pieces , dissolved into
lesser dominions."
The above quote is one which I found most interesting in chapter VIII from Locke's Second Treatise of Government. Not only is it a most valid counterargument against the suggestion that men are not free to create new governments because they are already born into one, but it also describes a seemingly natural cyclical order of government. Locke argues that if men are not free to set up a new government then there must be only one universal monarchy by which all the world is to governed legitimately. This is of course ridiculous because as he suggests not everyone would subject themselves to such remote dominion. The natural order seems to be that when governments become overstretched, men rebel to create new government. The use of history to demonstrate the transience government is very powerful.
1 comment:
Jordan,
Good job here. I hadn't really paid much attention to that passage. (Please give a page number in the future.) An example might have made your point even more concretely.
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