First and Second Treatise of Government Author:John Locke This edition contains John Locke's First and Second Treatise of Government, published, anonymously in 1689. In The First Treatise Locke argues that no government can be justified by an appeal to the divine right of kings. In the Second Treatise, Locke outlines a theory of civil society in which Locke describes the state of nature. He argues th... more »at all men are created equally in the state of nature by God. He explain the hypothetical rise of property and civilisation, and argues that the only legitimate governments are those that have the consent of the people. In his opinion, any government that rules without consent can, in theory, be overthrown.« less