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John Locke Equality And Scarcity Essay

823 Words4 Pages

John Locke, equality and the elimination of scarcity The introduction of such machines, coupled with the abundance found in the entire universe, would completely alter Locke’s conception of private property, labor, and the sovereign with implications on civil society. If such is the case, then equality as previously defined no longer has the same meaning.
Nor is it so strange, as perhaps before consideration it may appear, that the property of labour should be able to over-balance the community of land: for it is labour indeed that puts the difference of value on every [one] thing…

Locke has the conception of labor as being the defining attribute of private property.

I think it will be but a very modest computation to say, that of the products of the earth useful to the life of man nine tenths are the effects of labour: nay, if we will rightly estimate things as they come to our use, and cast up the several expences about them, what in them is purely owing to nature, and what to labour, we shall find, that …show more content…

It also means that the finite land that the creator bestowed upon human beings, no longer is a problem. Private property could easily be downgraded to a single machine; yet it seems that private property still remains an essential right. However, the elimination of scarcity no longer necessitates civil society. As discussed before, the main purpose of a sovereign in the state of a civil society, is for the purpose to uphold contracts and ‘earthly’ laws amongst individuals in the society. However, contracts serve as a way to ensure the exchange of goods, further increasing utility within the society. If contracts are deemed unnecessary, then it would mean that the sovereign would no longer be needed, as well as the dissolution of a civil society. Justice is the no longer a problem, given that no human being would have the desire to take away any right from another, with abundant

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