John Locke 
Second Treatise of Civil Government 

In this, the second of his Two Treatises of Government, John Locke examines humankinds transition from its original state of nature to a civil society. One can see the lasting influence of Lockes ideas through their familiarity to the modern reader-the roots of classical liberalism are here, and many of Lockes arguments foreshadow contemporary debates concerning government, liberty, and property rights. The introduction and annotations included in this edition are intended to contextualize the work and prevent misunderstanding, without advancing any particular scholarly interpretation or merely summarizing Lockes reasoning. This edition has its origin in the acclaimed Broadview Anthology of Social and Political Thought and adheres to the anthologys format and high standards of accuracy and accessibility.The Broadview Anthology of Social and Political Thought is edited by Andrew Bailey (University of Guelph), Samantha Brennan (University of Western Ontario), Will Kymlicka (Queens University), Jacob Levy (Mc Gill University), Alex Sager (Portland State University), and Clark Wolf (Iowa State University).