Locke's View On Property By John Locke

If all resources and the land from which they are extrapolated from are a common property of mankind, how does one obtain private property? This is a question that John Locke, a highly influential philosopher theorized about. Locke’s stance on property seems relatively simple, every man has the right to their own labor. The labor put into a commodity or enclosure that originally resides on common ground makes it their own. According to Locke, nature should be used productively because God wanted men to use the gifts given to them and be fruitful and multiply. That said, there are however many constraints associated with this thought. The proprietors should be rational, civilized thinkers so that they appropriate modestly to avoid waste and
In today’s society, the acquiring of land is often romanticized and seen as a part of our culture. Moreover, this possession of land is commonly associated with the symbolization of power, success and contribution to society. When examining these arguments, it is important to acknowledge that John Locke’s ideas were transmitted rapidly due to his social status and that despite his philosophical reputation, he had an extensive investment within the African slave market. It becomes apparent that the combination between John Locke’s involvement within the slave trade, his serving as secretary to the Lords Proprietor of the Carolinas and his appeal for these ideas exemplify that there is plausible concern that John Locke was executing his own hidden agenda. Furthermore, to make matters worse, Locke’s theories were instilled in order to seize the land from the Natives and to ratify large portions of common
His arguments were rationalized to sound logical based on current affairs, and this logic is best understood when looking at it from the perspective of the western view of nature. Instead of the traditional view of nature being more responsive and connected spiritually, we see the land as potential resources for future prosperity for all mankind, or the