Yale University: Steven Smith's "Constitutional Government: Locke's Second Treatise, Parts 13-19"
Watch this lecture. For Enlightenment thinkers, all people were equal and independent, and this allowed new credible political ideologies to develop. Consider the pre-Enlightenment views of the ruling classes in European countries as compared to the United States, which theoretically had an open and free political system in which all were able to participate. Also take note that a key tenet of Lockean philosophy is the right of the people to revolt against a government that is corrupt or otherwise unable to carry out the wishes of its constituency.
Last modified: Wednesday, August 3, 2016, 1:34 PM