In order to determine whose idea of government is to be agreed upon, the proper way is to take into consideration why there exist two completely different ideologies of government where both forms of government believe are born generally with good nature. Like stated above, Locke believes people are fitted with understanding ( Locke two treatises ex. 77) and are under the “ law of nature’ where no one would want to hurt anyone ( Locke two treatises ex.6) and similarly, Godwin believes that men are born naturally “benevolent to their fellows’. However, both of them agreed that there will be an irrational and a greedy side of humans. The difference in their ideologies is their perspective on human nature against time. Locke is firm on the idea of having a government because he sees no change in human nature and there will forever be a need for political authority to govern the people. On the contrary, Godwin believes that one day men will be able to be fully rational and there should be no political power or governments. However, no man, even in the world of today, where education, science and philosophy have …show more content…
Firstly, having said that everyone is different in rationality, in the case of the bread thief, whose opinion is right and whose is wrong? The fairest answer should be decided based on the rationality of the majority and Locke's idea of the government is ruled by the majority (Locke two treatises ex. 95). Last but not least, it is a government who believes in the equality of all men and treats the whole community as one (Locke two treatises ex. 95) and this will prevent any form of discrimination. Therefore, there will not be an upper class or lower class of people and this will prevent the tyranny of the rich and also the other problems that may
During this time Enlightenment thinkers, like John Locke, saw no reason why kings should rule rather than having people rule themselves. They believed that a more logical system was one in which the government existed by the consent of the people. They believed that a democracy was the best government that able to protect their natural rights and not take advantage of them. They realized that a monarchy would not protect them or live up the needed standards to be successful. Locke and many others believed that the government's’ duty was to guard and protect the natural rights of humans, life liberty and property.
If man is subjected to selfishness through human nature, and man runs government, than wouldn’t it be true that government can become a pit of greediness and self-indulgence? This is why both Locke and Madison favored and praised the ideas of checks and balances and the people being able to rid those in leading positions who they did not see fit in serving them. Both Locke and Madison agreed with the government being available for the people, to help the people but also
The Primary objective of all leaders should be to control citizens. A society that allows authority to be challenged will never succeed. This source depicts an authoritarian or totalitarian view of what a governing body should look like. The author suggests that the primary objective of government should be the “control of the citizens”, and therefore that the individuals should entirely obey said government.
The historical development of the world from 1690 to 1830 wouldn’t be what it was if it weren’t for John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government. Locke’s Second Treatise not only sparked individualism, but also revolutions, and was a guide to the creations of declarations around the world. Two main revolutions and declarations that Locke’s ideas inspired were the American Revolution and the French Revolution.
Failure to establish an appropriate government for a country's circumstances can cause a revolution. If the government's system does not serve the needs of the people, the people may revolt and demand change. John Locke's "Two Treatises on Government" supports the idea that "all men should be equal and independent, [and] no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions. " In a substantial government, everyone should be treated equally and responsible for their possessions. However, under a monarchy, not everyone is equal, and the government may restrict their power.
John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government is most known for his justification of private property, but there are many other theories, though not as popular, that are equally as important. One of these is his justification of inequality, which will be covered in this essay. Locke says that until the invention of money, there was no point to accumulate more property, or wealth, than one could use because it would spoil. That changed after the introduction of money because money does not spoil, which allows people to accumulate more than they need. Locke argues that since men agreed to use money as a way to fairly possess more than they could use, they also agreed to the consequence of inequality.
The Declaration of Independence states, “--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”. In the article Why Government, it states, “But Locke also believed that governments should protect people’s natural rights.” Both of these quotes show that the purpose for creating government, is so that the protection of the natural rights of the people is ensured. Also, the idea that these fair powers are just what Men (human beings) are receiving and what they should receive from the creation of governments. Both of these quotes combine with each other, because of the pinpointed idea of how the government was created in order to benefit to the natural rights of the people, and to protect these
Locke's most important and influential political writings are contained in his Two Treatises on Government. The first treatise is concerned almost exclusively with refuting the argument that political authority was derived from religious authority. The second treatise contains Locke’s own constructive view of the aims and justification for civil government. According to Locke, the State of Nature, the natural condition of mankind, is a state of perfect and complete liberty to conduct one's life as one best sees fit, free from the interference of others. This does not mean, however, that it is a state of license: one is not free to do anything at all one pleases, or even anything that one judges to be in one’s interest.
The questions of the whether social inequality is justified and the extent of government to address said inequality are some of the foundations upon which societies and economies are built. Two key philosophers on this issue – John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau – differ on this subject. In Two Treatises on Government, Locke holds that individuals have a right to property derived from their labor, citizens consent to the existence of inequality in society, and governments are instituted among men to protect said property. In contrast, Rousseau writes in Discourse on the Origin of Inequality and The Social Contract that inequality should be strictly limited and that governments have a duty to act in the best interest of its citizens by maintaining
Introductory Paragraph (description of theory) John Locke (29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) is a English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thinkers and known as the "Father of Classical Liberalism”. Locke got a scholarship to Oxford University where he spent 30 years at Oxford, studying, tutoring, and writing. He wrote influential political science and philosophy. Locke 's famous theory had to do with the Social Contract theory. The Social Contract covers the origin of government and how much authority a state should have over an individual.
Locke states that they must “give up the equality, liberty, and executive power they had in the state of nature”. This is for the intention of better preserving himself. Locke favored representative government, where citizens are permitted to vote and elect members to represent the public in government. 3.
In Chapter 5, Locke establishes how important personal liberty is, in that each individual has the right to live and think as they choose as and that each person has equal opportunity to appropriate property and essentially reap equal benefits from the land based on their ability to develop the land. In Federalist #10, James Madison attempts to deal with problematic factions and the struggle to destroy them. Madison asserts, that men by nature form factions with similarly minded people (just like Locke ’s claim the men are naturally self-serving), but the most important cause is the unequal distribution of property. Just like Locke, Madison argues that men with greater skill and talent usually have more property than people with less ability, but the government is supposed to encourage ability and equality.
On the Social Contract. Each of the philosophies discussed the purpose of government as well as which government was the most ideal. For Paine, government, is “a punisher,” in which society is ruled by in order to protect the properties of one’s natural rights (Paine 3). However, he defends a representative democracy as being the ideal. Likewise, John Locke also argues that governments protect the rights of man.
By explicitly listing the different elements of civil interest, Locke sets relatively clear boundaries for government control. Additionally, Locke places far greater emphasis on the government leader’s responsibility to the people than Mussolini. Locke also states that “God certainly appointed government to restrain the partiality and violence of men” (pg. 86). The leader’s responsibility to the people further indicates Locke’s belief that government should exist to serve the people and to minimize negative human actions. The conflict between the Fascist regime in Fatherland and Locke’s political theory is the involvement government should have with its
Only those who are born with true philosophical understanding can rule. In the Second Treatise by John Locke, Locke addresses the state of nature, which is essentially equality and freedom. Even though people have liberty, they still need to obey natural laws. On the contrary of Plato’s just city, Locke believes that absolute authority is not a civil government. A civil society is where the majority rules.