According to John Locke, when is the only time government holds its citizens' allegiance? In his Second Treatise of Government; governments hold our allegiance only if they protect our life, liberty, and property better than we could on our own.
Nov 02, 2016 · John Locke (1632-1704), is one of the most influential political theorists of the modern period. In the Two Treatises of Government, he protected the claim that men are by nature free and equivalent against claims that God had created all …
Locke argues that the people's contract with the government should be conditional. To earn the public' devotion and allegiance, the government must execute specific functions and behave accordingly. Although they disagree on a number of points, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke do share certain common principles.
Dec 01, 2009 · Political philosopher and social psychologist, John Locke was an outspoken supporter of equal rights within a governed society. He espoused the natural rights of man, namely the right to life, liberty and property, and he articulated that every government’s purpose is to secure these rights for its nationals.
Apr 06, 2020 · Twitter. John Locke’s social contract theories differed in one key aspect from others. Locke felt that mankind’s natural state was of freedom and individuals entered into a contract with other people to ensure that freedom. The Basis of Early Social Contract Theories The concept of a social contract started with the Greek philosopher Socrates.
In the Two Treatises of Government, he defended the claim that men are by nature free and equal against claims that God had made all people naturally subject to a monarch. He argued that people have rights, such as the right to life, liberty, and property, that have a foundation independent of the laws of any particular society. Locke used the claim that men are naturally free and equal as part of the justification for understanding legitimate political government as the result of a social contract where people in the state of nature conditionally transfer some of their rights to the government in order to better ensure the stable, comfortable enjoyment of their lives, liberty, and property. Since governments exist by the consent of the people in order to protect the rights of the people and promote the public good, governments that fail to do so can be resisted and replaced with new governments. Locke is thus also important for his defense of the right of revolution. Locke also defends the principle of majority rule and the separation of legislative and executive powers. In the Letter Concerning Toleration, Locke denied that coercion should be used to bring people to (what the ruler believes is) the true religion and also denied that churches should have any coercive power over their members. Locke elaborated on these themes in his later political writings, such as the Second Letter on Toleration and Third Letter on Toleration.
Perhaps the most central concept in Locke’s political philosophy is his theory of natural law and natural rights. The natural law concept existed long before Locke as a way of expressing the idea that there were certain moral truths that applied to all people, regardless of the particular place where they lived or the agreements they had made. The most important early contrast was between laws that were by nature, and thus generally applicable, and those that were conventional and operated only in those places where the particular convention had been established. This distinction is sometimes formulated as the difference between natural law and positive law.
Locke is thus also important for his defense of the right of revolution.
He also notes in the Essay that human beings govern themselves by a variety of different laws, the most practically efficacious of which is the “ Law of Opinion or Reputation .” ( Essay 2.28.10) Since people are often highly motivated to be well thought of by others, the moral standards that are operative within a society for allocating praise and blame are powerful and important. Ideally, these social norms will reinforce natural law and thus help stabilize political society. Locke’s educational writings suggest how children might be raised in such a way that they will be the sorts of citizens who function well in a liberal society (Tarcov 1984). Some think that Locke’s approach to education, which centers education within the family, gives the state too little influence over the formation of future citizens (Gutmann 1999), while others think Locke actually gives the state considerable power to regulate education (Tuckness 2010b).
On Dunn’s interpretation, Locke’s state of nature thinking is an expression of his theological position, that man exists in a world created by God for God’s purposes but that governments are created by men in order to further those purposes.
Locke and Punishment. John Locke defined political power as “a right of making laws with penalties of death, and consequently all less Penalties” ( Two Treatises 2.3). Locke’s theory of punishment is thus central to his view of politics and part of what he considered innovative about his political philosophy.
Locke claims that legitimate government is based on the idea of separation of powers. First and foremost of these is the legislative power . Locke describes the legislative power as supreme ( Two Treatises 2.149) in having ultimate authority over “how the force for the commonwealth shall be employed” (2.143). The legislature is still bound by the law of nature and much of what it does is set down laws that further the goals of natural law and specify appropriate punishments for them (2.135). The executive power is then charged with enforcing the law as it is applied in specific cases. Interestingly, Locke’s third power is called the “federative power” and it consists of the right to act internationally according to the law of nature. Since countries are still in the state of nature with respect to each other, they must follow the dictates of natural law and can punish one another for violations of that law in order to protect the rights of their citizens.
He was a social contract theorist, believing that the legitimacy of government relies on consent from its citizens which is given on the basis of equality. Locke’s view of equality was not limited to the political realm; he also promoted religious toleration, with atheism being the one notable exception.
Political philosopher and social psychologist, John Locke was an outspoken supporter of equal rights within a governed society. He espoused the natural rights of man, namely the right to life, liberty and property, and he articulated that every government’s purpose is to secure these rights for its nationals.
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It was Locke's ideas that were considered one of the most important influences in the formation of the United States. The founding fathers looked to his ideas and writings to form the basis for the Declaration of Independence, especially when it came to the right of the individual to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Hobbes believed in the hypothetical state of nature, which states that individuals operate in a state of self-interest, which can quickly lead to death for many individuals as others took what they wanted with no regard to the rights of others.
The Basis of Early Social Contract Theories The concept of a social contract started with the Greek philosopher Socrates. Socrates believed that the tenets of modern society were based on ...
Socrates believed that the tenets of modern society were based on the laws created to govern that society. Those who chose to stay within such a society, after they were old enough, should follow the laws of that society, or else expect to suffer the consequences for breaking those laws.
John Locke's version of social contract theory is striking in saying that the only right people give up in order to enter into civil society and its benefits is the right to punish other people for violating rights. No other rights are given up, only the right to be a vigilante. Even the right to be a vigilante returns to the individual if ...
Social contract arguments typically posit that individuals have consented, either explicitly or tacitly, to surrender some of their freedoms and submit to the authority of the ruler or magistrate (or to the decision of a majority), in exchange for protection of their remaining rights. John Locke's version of social contract theory is striking in ...