How Did John Locke Impact Society

America, as we know it, is founded upon the democratic underpinnings of the government as a representation of the people, based on what they collectively express. Our system of checks and balances incorporated into the three branches of power known as executive, legislative and judicial, not only creates an important, distinct type of government separating us from the rest of the world, but is a present day, working example of the political contributions from an infinite number of philosophers, whether ancient or modern. The impact of John Locke, one such philosopher, can currently be seen in examples like the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, both of which “…read like a book report of [Locke’s] Second Treatise” (Snyder, “Lecture

He played a part in encouraging humans to anatomize the under pinnings of our own political ideas, so that we may gain an intellectual attachment to those ideas and see potential weaknesses of them. Contrary to his predecessor, Thomas Hobbes, Locke played more of an activist role and wanted a much greater result than what is only offered by pen. After witnessing the 1688 Glorious Revolution, known to be equally or more important as the American Revolution in forwarding the cause of modern liberal democracy, and his friend status with many of the key players in the revolution, it’s clear his writing included pieces rooted in response. The Glorious Revolution kept Catholics from regaining control of England and ended possibility of the reestablishment of Catholicism’s reign, further separating church from state, granting parliament greater control and increasing citizens’ representation through parliament, all of which have some translation to Locke’s

In this regard, Locke connects reason with production via instrumental reason and the ability to be prudential since greater production means greater reason and happiness. Happiness is mostly the absence of unease, which he stated is the biggest motivator of human action, and durable currency gives more incentive to work, increase productivity and obtain possessions that remove unease. Prior to money, things only had intrinsic worth, meaning people could eat, drink, wear or somehow use those resources directly for sustenance. The arrival of money reflected an arbitrary value agreed upon among society that small, shiny pieces of metal had worth, and could subsequently be exchanged for other non-monetary items of worth. It also meant money could be exchanged for things needed later, further preventing waste. “But since gold and silver, being little useful to the life of man in proportion to food, raiment, and carriage, has its value only from the consent of men, whereof labour yet makes…the measure, it is plain…men…agreed to a disproportionate and unequal possession of the earth…by a tacit and voluntary consent, found out, a way how a man may fairly possess more land than he himself can use the product of, by receiving in exchange for the overplus gold and silver, which may be hoarded up without injury to any one; these metals not spoiling or decaying in the hands of the possessor. This partage of