Chapter 6: John Locke: The Don Heard Round the World

Lord Ashley: Earl of Shaftesbury and Lord Chancellor

A leading reformer whose ideas spurred constitutional change.

Whig party

The political faction advocating parliamentary power and reform, in line with Locke's views.

exclusion bill

Legislation aimed at preventing a Catholic monarch from ascending to the throne.

James II

The king whose controversial reign raised questions about divine right and constitutional limits.

consent of the people

Locke's principle that legitimate government derives from the governed's agreement.

right of resistance

The idea that citizens may oppose and overthrow unjust authority.

William of Orange

The leader whose rise signified the triumph of constitutionalism over absolute monarchy.

Robert Filmer

A defender of divine right whose views Locke famously challenged.

divine right

The doctrine that kings derive authority directly from God, critiqued by Locke.

why men enter civil society

Locke's argument that individuals form governments to better protect their natural rights.

state of nature's private enforcers

The notion that individuals in a pre-political state must protect themselves.

three natural rights

Life, liberty, and property; the core rights that precede government.

mixing labor with things taken from the natural state creates property

Locke's labor theory of property.

problem of the legitimacy of titles to land acquired by force

The challenge of justifying ownership when obtained through violence.

property: Lives, Liberties, and Estates

Locke's expanded concept of property as encompassing all personal rights.

property: the prototypical right

The view that property is foundational to political order.

human body: hors de commerce (not for trade)

The principle that a person cannot be commodified.

why Hobbes condemned theories of natural rights

Locke's counterargument emphasizing inherent human rights.

Locke's transnational appeal

The global influence and enduring relevance of Locke's ideas.

Locke's omission: failure to draw on the long tradition of English constitutionalism

A noted gap in Locke's work regarding historical legal frameworks.