Locke, Consent, and Property: Rethinking Political Obligation

This episode aims to introduce Locke’s key ideas on government, consent, and property as presented in the text extracts.

• Explain how Locke links political authority to the consent of the governed rather than to divine right or mere force.

• Explore Locke’s argument that individual rights to life, liberty, and especially property set limits on governmental power.

• Show how Locke’s theory of consent and revolution emerges against the background of the 1688 English Revolution.

• Critically reflect on tensions in Locke’s account, including inequality, passive subjects, and the protection of propertied interests.