Locke’s theory of limited government chiefly serves his case for unlimited private property

Evidence

What makes it especially valuable in both respects is that it is a case not only for the liberal state but also for liberal property institutions. Locke’s case for the limited constitutional state is largely designed to support his argument for an individual natural right to unlimited private property. … The student of liberal theory is thus well advised to pay particular attention to the place of Locke’s theory of property in his theory of government. — John Locke, Second Treatise of Government, 8

Categorization

• XREF: This frames how to read Locke’s political and property chapters for the course: the natural-rights argument is architecturally subordinate to the property claim. — connects to: Locke naturalized market creation as inevitable to defend his class’s property project — Mark Blyth, Austerity: The History of a Dangerous…, 281; Locke grounded legitimate rule in individual property rights, separating state from market — Mark Blyth, Austerity: The History of a Dangerous…, 278
• DEFINE: Clarifies that the ‘individual natural right to unlimited private property’ is the load-bearing postulate beneath Locke’s constitutional doctrine.

Broader Connections

• Locke naturalized market creation as inevitable to defend his class’s property project #corroborates (0.95) — Mark Blyth, Austerity, 281
• Locke grounded legitimate rule in individual property rights, separating state from market #expands (0.85) — Mark Blyth, Austerity, 278