Through the era of the Enlightenment, there lived many great philosophers who influenced new ways of thinking. These new ways of thinking made philosophers question government, natural rights, and human society. However, only one philosopher stood above the rest for his enlightened ideas. John Locke’s contributions to philosophical thought were the most critical during the Enlightenment because of the way he defined natural rights and influenced other philosophers to come. John Locke’s philosophical ideas mostly revolved around people’s natural rights. He believed that everyone is entitled to three rights life, liberty, and property. He argued that God and nature granted these rights to you and they could not be taken away or limited by anyone. Locke believed that even in the state of nature one was granted these rights. Therefore, when it came to government, he believed that their sole purpose was to …show more content…
Governments were only a form of protection for these rights, considering they are still granted to citizens in a state of nature. As stated by John Locke himself, “This makes him willing to quit a condition, which, however free, is full of fears and continual dangers: and it is not without reason, that he seeks out, and is willing to join in society with others...for the mutual preservation of their lives, liberties and estates….” (Syllabus, 8). Societies form governments to escape the state of nature and try to live lives that are more protected and in order. However if a government is not upholding its side of the social contract, unwritten agreement between the government and the governed, then what is the point of government at all? John Locke believes that only under these circumstances, does a society have the right to