John Locker and Libertarianism
Locke the Libertarian?
I. Introduction
Few political philosophers have had an influence comparable to that of John Locke. In his own time, he was a revolutionary whose ideas ultimately triumphed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 with the overthrow of King James II. Moreover, not too long after his death, his ideas would have tremendous influence in the American colonies. Locke’s Second Treatise of Government would have a significant impact on Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence. This seminal document reflects closely Locke’s thinking and does so at several points with language very close to Locke’s original pronouncements. More importantly, some argue, Locke's ideas were the single most important influence on the development of 20th century natural rights libertarian thought. His work is cited favorably and the influence of his ideas is apparent in the work of Libertarians. This is particularly apparent concerning ideas associated with property rights. Several other political ideologies also associate his views with their own train of thought. Such a wide array of political opinion, all of which claim to be at least partially influenced by the works of John Locke, does understandably lead to the predicament that they cannot all be right. Here we shall examine the ties between John Locke and Libertarianism.
One of the most well-known libertarian philosophers of the 20th century, Robert Nozick, explicitly follows much of Locke’s conclusions when formulating his own libertarian, foundational work. Similar views of property rights may help to highlight how Locke may have impacted modern libertarian thought. Libertarians have long been partial to what they believe to be John Locke’s theory of property. On first glance, this is understandable as the selected tenets of John Locke that are most often taught seem very libertarian in nature. In his Second Treatise of Government, Locke ostensibly argues that when an individual
I. Introduction
Few political philosophers have had an influence comparable to that of John Locke. In his own time, he was a revolutionary whose ideas ultimately triumphed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 with the overthrow of King James II. Moreover, not too long after his death, his ideas would have tremendous influence in the American colonies. Locke’s Second Treatise of Government would have a significant impact on Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence. This seminal document reflects closely Locke’s thinking and does so at several points with language very close to Locke’s original pronouncements. More importantly, some argue, Locke's ideas were the single most important influence on the development of 20th century natural rights libertarian thought. His work is cited favorably and the influence of his ideas is apparent in the work of Libertarians. This is particularly apparent concerning ideas associated with property rights. Several other political ideologies also associate his views with their own train of thought. Such a wide array of political opinion, all of which claim to be at least partially influenced by the works of John Locke, does understandably lead to the predicament that they cannot all be right. Here we shall examine the ties between John Locke and Libertarianism.
One of the most well-known libertarian philosophers of the 20th century, Robert Nozick, explicitly follows much of Locke’s conclusions when formulating his own libertarian, foundational work. Similar views of property rights may help to highlight how Locke may have impacted modern libertarian thought. Libertarians have long been partial to what they believe to be John Locke’s theory of property. On first glance, this is understandable as the selected tenets of John Locke that are most often taught seem very libertarian in nature. In his Second Treatise of Government, Locke ostensibly argues that when an individual