Locke's Two Treatises of Government › The Inconveniences of the State of Nature

If the state of nature is governed by natural law and people have natural rights, why leave it? Why create government at all? Locke's answer is that the state of nature, while not a war of all against all, has serious "inconveniences" that make it unstable. Three problems stand out. First, there is no established, known law. Natural law exists, but people interpret it differently. Disputes arise about what natural law actually requires. Without an authoritative statement of the rules, disagreements multiply. Second, there is no impartial judge. When conflicts occur, each party judges their own case. But people are biased in their own favor. Self-interest distorts judgment, making fair resolution difficult. Third, there is no power to enforce judgments. Even when the right course of action is clear, there may be no way to compel compliance. The injured party must rely on their own strength, which may be insufficient against a powerful aggressor. These problems do not make the state of nature intolerable, but they make it precarious. Life, liberty, and property are insecure. People have strong reasons to seek a more stable arrangement.