ipl-logo

John Locke Research Paper

987 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Hobbes and locke compare and contrast

Locke (1632-1704)
In order to gain the proper perspective and fullest understanding of philosophy of property will now examine the works of John Locke.
Locke’s life The Philosopher John Locke was born on the 29th of August of 1642 in Somerset England, the son of a Parliamentary Army Captain; and was able to be educated at the churches college at Oxford, focusing on both philosophy and medicine. He was initially a traditionalist and taken in by the philosophies set down by Hobbes; only to later develop his own arguments and theories to explain the proper workings of mankind and the world. His own line of philosophical thinking would include; freedom, equality and rights to property and dissent. These lines of reasoning might be linked to …show more content…

This was an argument designed to contour the ideas advanced in the Patriarcha by Robert Filmer; these ideas had include the biblical based arguments that the King is ordained by God through a hereditary line set down from David and was awarded absolute and divine authority over fellow man. Locke managed to attack this theory on several points to include that only God could transfer such power and authority by his hand and not simply by a human baring offspring. And also, that a parent authority over their offspring is never complete and absolute but instead a shared authority between one’s parents, which by the way is demonstrate throughout the bible. In addition, Locke argues that while Filmer see Adams power and authority coming from God granting him sovereignty and ownership over the entire world, Locke instead limits Adam’s effective authority to the beasts and the land, but not by extension to fellow mankind. Many of these themes and ideas are later revisited and further refined and expressed in his Second …show more content…

Within the Second Treaties Locke first covers the origins of mankind by declaring that we are all born as free and equal persons under God, much as that declared earlier by Thomas Hobbes. Then he goes on to describe our need for a common superior authority in order to live in a civil state of harmony with one another, and thus avoid a state of war and suffering. Next he lays out his thoughts on our sovereign right to property (as previously mentioned). And then finally, in his Second Treaties Locke describes our need to be ruled by the consent of the majority, complete with the inherent need for separation of powers in order that no one person or entity of government should ever grow so strong and so bold as to take over total rule and arbitrary singular governance over

Show More
Related
330 Words | 2 Pages

Caroline is the aunt of Ehrenreich's friend. Caroline talks to Ehrenreich in regards to being a low wage worker. During the their talk Caroline mentions “ Church”, and how you should always find a church when you are poor. Why would Caroline say this? Will as we read on page one hundred thirty two we explore what the church has done for Caroline.

Read More
1245 Words | 5 Pages

Locke believed that it is people’s inherent right to govern themselves. He “championed the social contract and govern­ment by consent”. (Steven) He even went so far to say that people did not need to be governed. All that government is is a framework by which people protect their natural rights, but it only needs to exist in practice.

Read More
282 Words | 2 Pages

John Locke stated the ideas of the rights that people should have: life, liberty and the right to own property. He believed that governments should be there to protect those rights and should be overthrown if they did not do so. John Locke's ideas were spread through the early American colonies. During the revolution there was a paper written and handed out called Common Sense, that put his ideas out there again for the colonies. It expressed that the people were wrongfully being treated.

Read More
697 Words | 3 Pages

In his Second Treatise of Government, Locke revealed his interests in new science, developing theories of education and knowledge (SMW, 34). One of the main points in his Treatise is that of the law of nature, where all men are in natural state of perfect freedom (SMW, 34). Locke argues, “Men being…by nature all free, equal, and independent,

Read More
1365 Words | 6 Pages

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,” these famous words written in the Declaration of Independent are not original to the founding fathers. Rousseau states “Man was born free,” this idea of freedom can be seen repeated several times in the works of the age of enlightenment. “Man, Paine argues, was born into a state of equality,” which clearly monarchy contradicts by elevating one man over the other. Locke adds “For in that state of perfect equality, where naturally there is no superiority or jurisdiction one over another.” The monarchy placed an unequal playing field for man.

Read More
1091 Words | 5 Pages

John Locke, also known as the Father of the Enlightenment, believed that everyone had natural rights: life, liberty, and property. These principles were adopted in the Declaration of Independence and is the foundation of the government today. Through the Enlightenment, new and improved ideas were founded, but one major part of Europe’s society took a major hit. Through logical reasoning, people began to question the teachings of the church. Despite these questionings, many religious figures reminded the people of who God is.

Read More
864 Words | 4 Pages

As Hobbes believed that each person should be controlled by a ruler that has been provided with absolute power, Locke believed in natural rights. The time that John Locke made his beliefs public was an eventful time in England, especially having to deal with politics. During the time of John Locke, he was able to see the Civil War, Interregnum, Restoration, Exclusion Crisis, and the Glorious Revolution. John Locke still managed to make himself known in a time of incredibly important changing in history. Locke was known for holding administrative positions in government and paying a great deal of attention to contemporary debates in political theory.

Read More
685 Words | 3 Pages

Thus, meaning that the government has limited power and no right to dictate its people and must respect their rights. In (The Second Treatise of Government, Chapter X, and XI, 1632-1704), Locke shares the differences between absolute monarchy, democracy, and of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. No doubt, that the second treatises of government reached the hearts of America’s Founding Fathers and had greatly influenced the Constitution of the United

Read More
278 Words | 2 Pages

John Locke was an English philosopher whose ideas were influential during the Enlightenment. John Locke believed that humanity is largely the product of their environment. He also believed the mind was a blank tablet that each experience was written in. Locke rejected the divine right of the monarchs to govern with absolute power. He believed that people are endowed with natural rights to life, liberty, and property.

Read More
767 Words | 4 Pages

He attended Christ Church, Oxford when he was twenty, studying medicine and graduating a bachelor 's degree in medicine in 1656. He practiced medicine for a while and was a personal physician for Caleb Bank. Here he began to get into politics, where then he wrote Two Treatises of Government. Written before its time, Locke’s ideas were composed against absolute monarchies and more focused onto the natural rights of man. Later being added to his works, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, becoming the “Father of Liberalism”.

Read More
1002 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
623 Words | 3 Pages

Who is John Locke? John Locke was an English and political philosopher born in England. He was born in August 29th, 1632 as the son of judicial officer and died in October 28th, 1704 at the age of 72. As he grew up in a stern family, he got a high level education under strict education system. In 1646, he attend Westminster school, London and Christ church, Oxford.

Read More
1104 Words | 5 Pages

In John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, Locke focuses on the definition and function of property in chapter four. Locke wants to argue that man can attain private property in several ways (Socrates 6 sect. 25). Locke believed that there are two arguments for the acquisition of private property in a state of nature. First the labor-mixing argument and the value-adding argument (Locke 7 sect. 27). His argument states that if one mixes one’s labor with unknown land or resources, one then owns the unowned land or resources (Locke 7 sect. 27).

Read More
632 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
823 Words | 4 Pages

I was in the active duty Air Force for six and a half years. Five of those years were spent away from my family in Germany. When I got to Germany I was 19 years old, and I had never been that far away from my family. If you haven’t guess already, I am going to be talking about the time that I spent in Germany. I will be focusing on how being in Germany helped me become a woman, exposed me to a different culture, and helped to me understand the true definition of family.

Read More

More about John Locke Research Paper

Related Topics

Open Document