John Locke's Second Treatise of Government, chapters 1-9

Locke's right-based social contract theory and how his state of nature differs from Hobbes's.

[ginogarcia]

this is so basic for me to ask but may I ask what are the symbols to the left of each important 'fundamental' law? is that a phi? or just your style to indicate a important concept

[danwylie-sears]

Where did anyone get the idea that the judge of a disagreement has to be "above", i.e. more powerful than, the parties who are trying to settle the disagreement? Conflict is always and everywhere more costly than peaceful settlement, and the more so as the parties to a disagreement are more powerful. The more power a party has, the more they have to lose by conflict. So the more powerful a party is, the more they'll be inclined to favor peaceful means. On the other hand, the more power a judge has, the more they have the potential to further their own whims or interests at the expense of the parties. So it's in the interest of parties to have a judge be as weak as possible. And it's easier to commit to a process that's expected to be mutually beneficial than it is to commit to one that has a high likelihood of being detrimental to at least one party. Commitment is still difficult. But people can do it, because hominids who couldn't make credible commitments didn't survive long enough to become our ancestors.