Society and Government

The book argues that society is natural to man for mutual welfare and protection, requiring laws, government, and magistrates to ensure the common good, with laws needing to be consistent with natural justice and truth.

The chapter extensively defines the nature, purpose, and structure of societies and governments, emphasizing laws, magistrates, and the common good.

Society and Government is one of the patterns The Religion of Nature Delineated by William Wollaston returns to. The chapter notes above are from this edition’s companions — open those chapters to see how the book stages the idea rather than treating the theme as a slogan.