Treatise Of Government And A Letter Concerning Toleration, By John Locke
John Locke is considered to be one of the most influential philosophers in history. An English political theorist, his principles and beliefs are said to have influenced many democracies that we see today, including the United States of America. A state of nature is when society implicitly and explicitly places certain rights of individuals into the hands of institutions and collective norms to improve the lives of others. The state of nature is used to help social contract theorists present their understanding of human nature and explain their beliefs on the role a government should take. In his piece, “The Second Treatise of Government and a Letter Concerning Toleration”, Locke was able to refute Hobbes’ theory of absolutist government,
…show more content…
Locke states that “though man in that state have an uncontrollable liberty to dispose if his person or possessions, yet he has not liberty to destroy himself, or so much as any creature in his possession” (3). By characterizing liberty, Locke alludes to the fundamental law of nature. Locke also believes that God put men into this world, and that they are his property and there to fulfill his order and business. In Locke’s opinion, liberty is the ability to do whatever you want while preserving yourself and preserving others. He states that everyone is “bound to preserve himself and not to quit…when his own preservation comes not in competition…as much as he can, to preserve the rest of mankind”(3). The law of nature defines self-preservation itself. Self preservation is extremely important in that men must do everything they can to self preserve themselves and others. Consent is also a very important access in Locke’s mind. He believes that consent is necessary to establish political authority above us, and that consent and decision-making based on majority rule. With liberty being so important in Locke’s eyes comes two different types of liberty; noninterference and non-domination. Noninterference means that while sovereign, the authorities can impulsively kill you because your life is at mercy to the feelings the leader is having. This is a problem because one is dependent on the authority and has no control over the situation. With non-domination, people are on the same level, and no one is more powerful than the other, meaning that the government and the people are on equal. Overall, liberty is the most powerful aspect to the social contract of Locke, and without it, the state of nature that we know of today would not
Locke states that “though man in that state have an uncontrollable liberty to dispose if his person or possessions, yet he has not liberty to destroy himself, or so much as any creature in his possession” (3). By characterizing liberty, Locke alludes to the fundamental law of nature. Locke also believes that God put men into this world, and that they are his property and there to fulfill his order and business. In Locke’s opinion, liberty is the ability to do whatever you want while preserving yourself and preserving others. He states that everyone is “bound to preserve himself and not to quit…when his own preservation comes not in competition…as much as he can, to preserve the rest of mankind”(3). The law of nature defines self-preservation itself. Self preservation is extremely important in that men must do everything they can to self preserve themselves and others. Consent is also a very important access in Locke’s mind. He believes that consent is necessary to establish political authority above us, and that consent and decision-making based on majority rule. With liberty being so important in Locke’s eyes comes two different types of liberty; noninterference and non-domination. Noninterference means that while sovereign, the authorities can impulsively kill you because your life is at mercy to the feelings the leader is having. This is a problem because one is dependent on the authority and has no control over the situation. With non-domination, people are on the same level, and no one is more powerful than the other, meaning that the government and the people are on equal. Overall, liberty is the most powerful aspect to the social contract of Locke, and without it, the state of nature that we know of today would not