Some 350 years ago, British philosopher John Locke made the claim that humans have a duty to obey the laws of whatever country one resides in simply because by residing in these countries, each resident has tacitly consented to obeying the laws of their respective country’s laws. The idea of tacit consent is central to Locke’s theory of political obligation because it is the foundation of the relationship between a state and its citizens, and whether there is a natural sense of trust between the government and the body politic. In a Lockean society, a sovereign power is, to a large extent, accountable for its people; however, their power is also restricted by Locke’s law of nature, which states that all men are free “to order their actions …show more content…
Even though people are, according to Locke, naturally free and thus have no duty to obey others, the fact that people adhere to their government’s respective laws means that they have consented to those same laws of the sovereign that rules over them. Consenting to the government is not often expressed by citizens, either in verbal or written form. By joining a body politic under a legitimate government, one displays a moral duty to tacitly obey the laws of their government. A legitimate government can be defined as a body of power that respects the natural rights of men and adheres to the laws of nature, while simultaneously providing guidance for the people that it carries power over. In return, the body politic must observe the laws that the government sets, respecting their legitimacy. If a government loses its legitimacy and begins to negatively affect its people, then the body politic has the right to overthrow the government and elect a new one into power. Otherwise, it is implied that citizens have the duty to respect the
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.
It’s been over 200 years since the original thirteen colonies of America fought their revolutionary war against Great Britain, in hopes of achieving their independence. We shall be going through a few areas of the Revolution, such as the military, social hierarchy, the role of men and women during the war, the colonists’ values of equality and their social contract response to the British government’s abuses, and we’ll compare these areas to the present day. The American Revolution started around April of 1775, when British redcoats and American militiamen exchanged gunshots in Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. However, that was only the beginning of the fighting; the reasons for the war date from years prior, when resistance from the
Locke had stated that when an executive act for his own benefit, and not to serve the ends of the people. He “degrades himself” and becomes “but a single private person without power,” at which point he no longer has any right to rule over the people. Locke expresses the idea of rebellion against an unjust government. By giving the idea of rebellion, he also reveals that a human’s rights have changed over the years and that a man now has inherent rights. It was because of his declaration that the statement, “give me liberty or give me death,” become popular among the American people.
John Locke was a philosopher and political scientist. He had many interests and produced a number of writings that influenced future leaders. One of these leaders was Thomas Jefferson, who was involved with the aid of America and the act gaining independence from Britain. The Declaration of Independence and Locke’s views on government contain many similar aspects. These ideas includes the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (natural rights); the protection that is provided by the government for these rights; and the altering or abolishment of government if it fails to provide and protect the rights of the people.
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.
Body Paragraph 1: Topic Sentence (Take Straight From Your Reason 1): Thoreau was extremely against the government being too involved in a person's life. INTRO to 1st Quote: Thoreau believed, “...”. 1st Quote that supports the Topic Sentence: “That government is best which governs least.”
Locke’s definition of liberty depends on whether the person is in the state of nature, in which people are “without subordination or subjection” (Locke 101) or if they have formed into a commonwealth, or whenever “any number of men are so united into one society, as to quit every one his executive power of the law of nature, and resign it to the public” (Locke 137-38). In the Lockean state of nature, men have a “freedom to order their actions and dispose of their possessions and persons” (Locke 101). This freedom is still limited by what Locke refers to as the law of nature, or that “no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions” (Locke 102). He also defines the liberty of the state of nature as “not to be under any will or legislative authority of man” (Locke 109). In his form of commonwealth, there is more limited freedom, in which liberty is to “be under no legislative power, but that established, by the consent of the commonwealth” (Locke 110).
independent”. According to the state of nature, no man should endanger another man’s life, well-being, freedom, or possessions. Everyone is “obligated by the laws of nature to respect the rights of every man”, according to Locke. 2. It is necessary for man to give up certain liberties under the laws of nature when entering into society.
“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” (Jefferson, 1776/2014, para. 2). Authority should not reside over individuals, but with them. A heart cannot run a body alone. Likewise, a government does not operate a nation by itself. Individuals help maintain the justice of authority.
These reasons will prevent anarchy because one has a conscience to determine which laws to follow and which ones do not; therefore, one shows loyalty to the authority of law and also loyalty to one’s
Asher Edwards Mr. Kaufman Civics and Political Economy 16 March, 2023 John Locke, also known as the “father of liberalism” was an influential philosopher during the 17th century. One of his most prominent ideas was consent of the governed. Consent of the governed refers to a political and philosophical idea that in order for a government to be legitimate, i.e., moral, it must have consent from the people it would exercise its power over. However, does this mean every single person in a society must consent to a government? How do we know what counts as consent?
And so, what would happen if the people violated the social contract was the question that brought the creation of a civil society. The people also consented, unanimously, the creation of civil society and therefore leaving the state of nature also consented to allow his property to be governed by the government of his choice, and those who did not consent where left in the state of nature against the rest of society. Under the social contract, Locke explains that we must obey government that we our born under, bringing us to the concept of express consent and tacit consent. Express consent, consent given in writing or by voicing it, is binding but can never be taken away. Tacit consent is consent given silently and based more on one’s actions
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.
The Lockean consensual citizenship theory has been implemented in American naturalization law. People born outside the U.S. territory may acquire citizenship by complying with the naturalization laws of the U.S.A. American naturalization process defines a very explicit contract formation process between an individual and a state. The individual consents to become a citizen of the United States. In exchange, the U.S. grants rights and privileges to that
Kemuel Clyde M. Belderol 2012-44642 2587 words (2500 + 10%=2750) CONSTITUTIONAL PARADOX From the Hobbesian idea of the sovereign Leviathan state directing its citizens on their preordained duties, into Rousseau’s social contract and the added distinction of natural and legal rights, and many others prior to and therein after; many have tried (some spectacularly failing) at governing, conditioning, and controlling the metaphysical concept known as “human nature” whether it’d be in accordance with good or evil. Of course, some argue that we as a species have already achieved such an amazing feat as guiding and limiting this relatively volatile concept through the supposed ‘rule of law’ that binds most modern societies which, more or less, is