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John Locke's view about the liberty of the individual
John Locke's view about the liberty of the individual
John Locke's view about the liberty of the individual
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Much of the American Government used today comes from fellow philosophers who with their help; helped put our country in order. John Locke proposed that humans are born with natural right laws; Declaration of Independence, Preamble to the United States Constitution, Representative Government (Republic) and Limits
Locke believed that every person has rights including the rights to life, liberty, and property. Locke also believed that governments should be for the good of people, as quoted in source A “The purpose of government is the good of mankind” (John Locke). These ideas were expressed in the French Revolution,
John Locke and Thomas Hobbes were early English philosophers who each had very different views on the roles of the government and the people being governed. Their interpretations of human nature each had a lasting and vast impact on modern political science. Locke believed that men had the right to revolt against oppressive government. “‘Being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions.”
Hobbes argued that once an individual is a part of an absolute monarchy, they no longer have the rights to branch away from the government. He created the idea that people who are a part of this absolutist society cannot fight against the authority because it provides protection for the people. Locke had another viewpoint which regarded the protection of the people, but he saw it in a civil society. Locke explained that the social contract was the result of men who had the equal rights as a natural concept of life. He preached that all men have rights and freedom to express their opinions and protection of their property.
John Locke, Voltaire, Adam Smith, and Mary Wollstonecraft all said that society can be made better by giving the people free will. John Locke was a great example of the philosophers who wanted the people to have freedoms. Locke thought that the government should be people focused and that the people need to have a say. Locke recommended a legislative and executive branch of the government. (Doc A) Locke believed that the king should have very limited power, giving Parliament more.
Locke helped shape the United States government and many other nations governing systems around the world. Locke believed all men were born with the rights of life or your natural rights of liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and a government should protect and respect the rights of individuals. Under the protection of your government he believed “whom the society hath set over itself, with this express or tacit trust, that it shall be employed for their good, and the preservation of their property: now this power, which every man has in the state of nature, and which he parts with to the society in all such cases where the society can secure him, is to use such means, for the preserving of his own property, as he thinks good, and nature allows him; and to punish the breach of the law of nature in other” (Document C). By introducing natural rights the common people gained more power through an equality between all men. Natural rights gave people the right to possess and protect their own property both physical items and personal ideals.
John locke being the one of the three great empiricists and a modern political philosopher. His political theory was inalienable rights .He believed that we was the property of god and that's where the rights came from .Establishing the negative rights for the people ,the people us humans has the inalienable rights of life,liberty and property and also the pursuit of ones goal. Adopting the social contract theory .John Locke use this form of government because he believed that it was in contradiction to his thoughts and ideas to his inalienable rights.
During the Enlightenment era, which stretched from the late 1600’s to the early 1800’s in Europe, was the era of great philosophy thinking and science. One famous contributor of this time was a man named Thomas Hobbes, a british philosopher who shaped the thoughts on human nature and established the first ever known social contract. Thomas hobbes argued that the natural state of human nature was cruel and evil in the sense that we are all each other's enemy. The idea of an absolute monarchy appealed to him and was in his opinion the best way to govern of a society. Thomas Hobbes compiled all of his ideas and put it all in a book that he wrote called the Leviathan.
On the other hand, Hobbes’s Idea of a complete dictatorship destroys all ideas of freedom. His ideas go so far as to justify inequality and totalitarianism. He even believes that citizens have absolutely no right to rebel against an oppressive government. Another 17th century philosopher named John Locke, has a solid blend of both Rousseau's and Hobbes’s philosophies. He both affirms their solid ideas and rejects their unreasonable ones.
His writings heavily shaped how involved we are now in our government and how much our government benefits us. Locke believed that everyone should have a say in the government and that power should be divided. Locke was one of the first to reject the idea that some are divinely chosen to rule over others. Accordinging to Locke the purpose of government is to help everyone achieve equal natural
In the Hobbes quote taken from Leviathan, he calls for all power to be strictly controlled, with power placed upon one person similar to that of an absolute monarchy to keep control and obedience. Locke, however, believed that people deserved natural rights, the right to life, liberty, and property. He believed that government should protect the rights of the people.
During the Enlightenment time, Hobbes was one of the philosophers who supported the government in such ways. Thomas Hobbes was a philosopher who lived during the 17th century; he was considered a unique and original philosopher since he had completely different ideas than the other philosophers. During the Enlightenment, Hobbes thought of ideas about the key to the Enlightenment with some thinking and research, he ended up with a statement which was called Leviathan. The statement of Hobbes says that every human were naturally born cruel, greedy, and selfish. Which means that every single person in this world can be evil, even though the person could be very kind and friendly to everyone.
Thomas Hobbes had some input on how the government is run now. Thomas Hobbes (5 April 1588 – 4 December 1679) was an English philosopher, whose famous 1651 book Leviathan established the foundation for most of Western political philosophy from the perspective of social contract theory. In Leviathan, Hobbes set out his doctrine of the foundation of states and legitimate governments - based on social contract theories. Leviathan was written during the English Civil War; much of the book is occupied with demonstrating the necessity of a strong central authority to avoid the evil of discord and civil war.
The age of enlightenment was a philosophical peak in history that set a course for the rest of time. Many different ideas were brought about that shaped the way we live to this day, especially here in the states. Two philosophers in particular affected the United States of America; Thomas Hobbes and Tom Locke. Both of these philosophers pasts formed their philosophy and the ideas they had, which affected the government of their time, and our government today. Hobbes and Locke had very different upbringings and backgrounds, which led them to having very different points of view on life.
Locke’s vision of continual consent to governmental rule is much more appealing than Hobbes’s tyrant. Even though his views on human nature seem too good to be true, Locke’s philosophy is alluringly practical. If you do not agree with your government, simply leave and find another government you do agree with. Additionally, Locke’s plan protects the citizens by giving them leave to make their own decisions. Hobbes’s view is doubly flawed: his opinion on human nature forces his government to fail morally.
