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John Locke Strengths And Weaknesses

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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. In the Two Treatises of Government (1689), he defended the claim that men are naturally free and equal against claims that God had made all people naturally subject to a monarch. With both biblical and philosophical justifications, Locke argued in defense of constitutionalism. He believed God gave Adam natural rights like; life, liberty, and property in the book of Genesis and Adam passed it on to the rest of …show more content…

His strengths were outlined throughout history as his ideas became an important part of modern law. For example, Locke’s ideas of the right to life, liberty, and property are considered fundamental rights in our society today with the vast majority agreeing that it is important. In addition, Locke’s idea of separating government powers is used in current day legal systems. On the other hand, his weaknesses and flaws within his theory supported a unpredictable and unstable government. By letting citizens control how people were punished for crimes without a higher power to set our guidelines for the offenses/punishments caused injustice in some cases as similar cases begin to vary in punishment. Furthermore, famous philosophers found several flaws in his plan. Thomas Hobbes argued that if society were on the basis of natural law, society would develop an “every man for himself” mentality, causing

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