John Locke (1632-1704)

Selections from the Second Treatise of Government

Study Questions

• How does Locke justify private property? What distinguishes between common and private property?
• What is the significance of Locke's saying, "every man has a property in his own person"?
• What is Locke's theory of value? According to him, what gives value to things?
• What are Locke's ideas on the purposes and the limits of property? Are such ideas related to those of any ancient or medieval thinkers? How do his ideas differ from those of previous thinkers?
• How does Locke look at the issue of the private ownership of land? How is this related to his characterization of the private ownership of the "fruits of the earth" (137)? How does he explain the historical process by which land comes to be partitioned and privately owned (140-141)? Is it significant that he uses the names of Cain and Abel in such explanations? How does Locke explain the existence of commonly owned land in England?
• What does Locke mean by "the common stock of mankind" (140) and what assumptions does he make about it? Consider Sissy Jupe's response to Mr. M'Choakumchild's question about National Prosperity (Hard Times 47).
• How does Locke deal with the problem of competing claims to the same land or other resources?
• Locke suggests that God gave the world to "the industrious and the rational" (138). Who does he have in mind?
• Locke speaks a great deal of "improvement"; what, exactly, does he mean by that term?
• What is Locke's attitude toward America? How does he characterize America? What is his notion of the differences between America and England? What are the implications of his characterizations? How do Locke's ideas fit in with the discourse and ideology of colonialism?
• What is the significance of the various examples Locke uses involving the "Indian" (136, etc.)? How does he characterize such "Indians"? What does he mean by suggesting that "the wild Indian ... knows no enclosure, and is still a tenant in common" (136)? In his view, what is the difference between Europeans and Indians? In the context of Locke's theory of appropriation and entitlements, what are the implications of such characterizations? Does Locke have an underlying agenda here?
• How does Locke characterize uncultivated or otherwise unworked land? What are the implications of such characterizations? How would Locke look at our National Forests and wild life preserves? How would he look at environmental protection in general? What are the roots of Locke's attitudes toward nature in its wild state? Are there specific national, economic, social, political and/or religious components in such attitudes?
• How does Locke understand money and its functions? How does he believe money came into existence? How does the existence of money affect his theory of property and appropriation? How does it affect land ownership and land use? What are the limits of property? Does money overturn the original limits to property? Why does he believe it is justified to accumulate money without bound? Is it true that unlimited hoarding of money has no effect on others? What is missing or problematic in Locke's theory of money?

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