Final answer:
John Locke argued that government authority is based on the consent of the governed and that its central duty is to protect natural rights such as life, liberty, and property. His theories of popular sovereignty and the right to revolution emphasized a government's responsibility to serve its citizens and protect their rights.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to John Locke, government authority is not based on military strength, but rather on the consent of the governed. In his seminal work, Second Treatise of Government, Locke lays out his philosophy that a legitimate government arises from the people's consent and its main duty is to safeguard their natural rights, namely life, liberty, and property. These ideas form the basis of popular sovereignty, the principle that a government's legitimacy is rooted in the people's willingness to accept and uphold its authority.
Locke's view of government is fundamentally different from that of Hobbes, who posited that a strong authoritarian government is needed for security and protection. Instead, Locke believed in a government by the people and for the people, protecting individual rights and maintaining the social contract. Should the government fail in these duties or infringe upon these rights, Locke asserted the people's right to revolution, to challenge and potentially overturn the governing body that no longer serves its foundational purpose.