PHILOSOPHY 2
“Two Treatise of Government” John Lock, Chapter 18 and 19
John Locke attempts to distinguish between the dissolution of a government and that
of the society. By society, in this context, John points to the political atmosphere in a country.
The government on the hand refers to the agreement arrived upon by the citizens to be in
charge of them and focus on the implementation of the rules. John claims that a government
can be dissolved without dissolving the society whereas the reverse is not possible. Whenever
an appointed government completes its term, it is dissolved so that it may pave the way for
the selection of a new government. The society cannot be dissolved, as when this happens,
there will be total confusion as people will not have an opinion on anything. Also, there is a
high likelihood that such an environment will be ruled by a dictatorship government which
does not allow people air their opinions freely.
This speculation is true as the people in the society are entitled to freedom of opinion;
opinion to select the government they want and express their opinions freely. A dictatorial
government does not allow the citizens to air out their political opinions rather adhere to the
system in place. When a government is dissolved, the society is not dissolved as people are
still allowed to have their opinions. However, if a society is dissolved, there will be no
government as people will have no right to select a proper government. Such a society will
either have a dictatorial leadership or be full of war due to lack of a proper system.
Questions:
1. The author claims that governments are dissolved within. Is there any other method to
dissolve a government other than this method?
2. Is a dissolved society similar to a dictatorial leadership, and if not, what are the
differences between these two?
