# Two Treatises of Government — Key Concepts & Themes

> Key concepts in Two Treatises of Government by John Locke.

- [Natural Rights and Liberty](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_treatises_of_government_se/concepts/cos-natural-rights-and-liberty.md): Locke argues that all men are born free and equal, possessing natural rights to life, liberty, and property, which government must protect and cannot arbitrarily violate.
- [Consent of the Governed](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_treatises_of_government_se/concepts/cos-consent-of-the-governed.md): Legitimate political authority derives from the consent of the people, who voluntarily unite into society and establish government through mutual agreement, not from divine right or paternal inheritance.
- [Limited Government and Rule of Law](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_treatises_of_government_se/concepts/cos-limited-government-and-rule-of-law.md): Government power must be constrained by established, known laws, and the legislative and executive powers are limited to serving the public good, with no authority to act arbitrarily or despotically.
- [Right to Revolution](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_treatises_of_government_se/concepts/cos-right-to-revolution.md): When a government violates its trust by acting against the people's liberty and property, the people have the right to resist, alter, or dissolve that government and establish a new one.
- [Property and Labor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_treatises_of_government_se/concepts/cos-property-and-labor.md): Property originates from an individual's labor mixing with common resources, and the preservation of property is a primary end of civil society, protected by law against arbitrary seizure.
- [Critique of Patriarchalism and Divine Right](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_treatises_of_government_se/concepts/cos-critique-of-patriarchalism-and-divine-right.md): Locke systematically refutes Sir Robert Filmer's theory that political power derives from Adam's fatherhood and divine donation, arguing such claims are unfounded and lead to slavery.
- [Separation of Powers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_treatises_of_government_se/concepts/cos-separation-of-powers.md): Locke distinguishes legislative, executive, and federative powers, advocating for their separation to prevent abuse and ensure laws are made and executed for the common good.
- [State of Nature and Social Contract](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_treatises_of_government_se/concepts/cos-state-of-nature-and-social-contract.md): Humans originally exist in a state of perfect freedom and equality governed by natural law, but they enter into a social contract to form civil society for better protection of their rights.

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