Locke's Second Treatise, Chapter 14 | Analysis and Critique

Chapter 14 of the Second Treatise is titled "On Prerogative," and is perhaps the most dangerous concept in Locke's idea of government, especially from a libertarian or voluntaryist perspective.

According to Locke, prerogative is the ability of the executive to promote the public good without a rule. However, the notion of the executive having powers not strictly limited where the law is "silent" is a dangerous notion, prone to all sorts of bad incentives, which even Locke admits.

Furthermore, we get to see an interesting application of prerogative and how the American founders seem to have actually improved on Locke's thought, in the notion of eminent domain. It sounds crazy, especially from our voluntaryist perspective, but I explain in detail in the video.

Intro music adapted from a royalty-free piece by Clavier Music, courtesy of Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/users/clavier-music-16027823/

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