Essay about Revolution: Locke vs Kant

In his Second Treatise on Government Locke focus’ on liberalism & capitalism, defending the claim that men are by nature free and equal against the idea that God had made all people subject to a king. He argued that people have ‘natural rights’, such as the right to life, liberty, and property, that hold the foundation for the major laws of a society. He says, “…we must consider, what state all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons as they think fit.” (2nd Treatise, Chapter 2, sec 4). John Locke used this claim, that all men were naturally free and equal, for understanding the idea of a government as a result of a social contract. This is where people in the state of nature transfer some of their rights to the government in order to better guarantee the steady and comfortable enjoyment of their lives, liberty, and property.

Constitution. John Locke’s belief of “life, liberty, and property” was the most influence on the American. Beside the Magna Carta, Petition of Rights, and English Bill of Rights, Locke also has a great influence of limit government. Locke’s Social Contract theory was to protect the basic rights of the people, it for the right of citizens to revolt against their king. Social contract is a convention between men that aims to discard the state of nature. According to Locke, the State of Nature is a state of perfect and complete liberty to behavior one's life as one best perceives fit, and free from the interfering of others. Also from Locke’s view of State of Nature, he believes it was given by

Many philosophers and theorists have spoken on the value, or lack thereof, of revolution. In Second Treatise of Government, John Locke builds the concept of a “social contract,” which outlines responsibilities of the government and what can be done if the state fails to uphold its duties.  Edmund Burke views political rebellion in a different light. He writes in Reflections on the Revolution in France that upheaval does excessive harm to the state, and, by extension, the people. While both Locke and Burke agree that rebellion is useful to the growth of a state, they differ on a few main points. First, they disagree in terms of what circumstances warrant revolution. Second, they each believe it should take different forms and work to different extents. Finally, Locke and Burke believe revolution tends to have positive or negative effects, respectively. Their views on each of these points will be discussed in turn.

In order to form a government, Locke believes that communities must give up certain liberties in order for the governing body to operate. These communities must agree to form a political body, submit to the voting process of the majority, and the rulings of the majority. This description of a governing body is exactly what we currently have in place in the United States and many other countries in the world. The first step, forming a political body, is important to establish as a strong and unified state. In order to make this state attractive to the communities joining, you must have a unique and firmly established governing system (Monarchy, Oligarchy, or Democracy). Lastly, before these communities join the government, they must subject themselves to the rulings of the government by contract. It is also of utmost importance that the communities join of their own free will. Everyone needs to buy in and have a stake in making the government work or the system will fall apart at the very seams.

Locke describes his ideal form of government as limited in its capabilities, to prevent the corruption and give the people of the city-state the freedom entitled to them by the state of nature. Unlock Aristotle, Locke focuses on one aspect of freedom that he believes to be, above all others, the best representation of human freedom, which is the ability for humans to accumulate and own property. As with Aristotle it is best to look at the natural law that Locke believes drives humans to adequately understand why he believes that governments are in place in the city-state. Locke and Aristotle believe that reason is the natural law that guides humans, but Locke writes that when in the state of nature, humans are equals in every way and naturally interact and form communities. Locke states that the one right that all humans have, is to protect themselves from harm, “… every man upon this score, by the Right he hath to preserve Mankind in general, may restrain, or where it is necessary, destroy things noxious to them” (Locke, ch.2 sc.8). This statement is the foundation for why Locke believes governments are necessary. Government exists for the sole purpose of protecting each individual’s right to own property, “Political Power then I take to be a Right of making laws with Penalties of Death, and consequently all less Penalties, for the Regulating and Preserving of Property” (ch.1 sc.3). Government allows individuals their natural right to accumulate property without fear of others harming them or taking away their

The basic ideas that are brought forth in this work by John Locke is that people need a government who puts the needs of its people first and that will protect their natural rights. Also, that creating a social contract between the government and its people is critical to forming a strong society. These ideas help shape the new world in a huge way. Some may see Locke’s ideas as one of the justifications behind the start of the Revolutionary War, since some of Locke’s ideas were woven into the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson writes that the natural rights are “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness” while Locke say “life, liberty, and possessions” so it is clear where Jefferson got some of his

Furthermore, Locke believed that god gave natural rights to Adam, and thus these natural rights surely belonged to all human beings. Such natural rights include, life, liberty, as well as property. However, in the state of nature, how can we protect these natural rights, while also maintaining the sense of freedom. To which, it falls upon the government’s responsibility to uphold and protect these natural rights. Although, by entrusting such power and control in the ability of others, it can have the potential of resulting in injustice and violence. To which, there should be a social contract, which merely represents an understanding between the administrators and the common people underlining the rights and responsibilities of both parties. Of course, the authority of these governments should have boundaries with respect to laws. As a result, civilians can reap the benefits of these rights, without having to fear the possibility of these rights being taken away, by way of no

Locke was a political philosopher who like Hobbes believed in a social contract, however Locke was much more optimistic, positive, and kind in his view of human nature. Locke believed in a society where people lived under a government that protected the rights of the people. Locke wrote, the Second Treatise of Civil Government in 1690. Locke promoted that the natural rights of the people were to be preserved, he believed in religious tolerance, and advocated to replace a dysfunctional government system. With his ideal leadership, Locke explains it would be the people who would have the right to reject the ruler who does not obey the law, he goes on to teach that, basically, all men are created equal and have the right to life, liberty, and property. Sounds vaguely familiar to me, the Constitution, which was adopted in the 17th century is a social contract that promotes equal rights, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Obviously, Locke was on to something here and the American colonists

Locke believes that considering human nature, men are enough capable to self-rule and through the capacity to reason, individuals can be trusted to manage their natural rights and avoid problems for the good and the interest of the others. So, the government authority will be responsible to make laws that will not restrain the natural rights of individual but enforce and further enlarge them. These laws are not arbitrary, since according to Locke, nobody can transfer to the government more power than he has in himself. Such a government is a legitimate one, because its powers come from its citizens, who give their express or tacit consent to its

Locke claims that all legitimate political power derives from the consent of the governed to protect their lives, liberties, and properties. In order for the executive prerogative to work efficiently and thrive as it was intended to, there can be no instances of disconnect between the decisions the executive makes through the use of the prerogative and the people. The people consent to being governed and since executive prerogative is a duty of one of the branches of government, the people find a need to establish a trust within the executive so that they can feel that their security and prosperity are protected fairly under the social contract, including during times when discretion is warranted. Locke claims that people are naturally free and equal, but that they consent to a social contract where they transfer the protection of their rights to the government in order to better ensure a stable life. Since governments exist by the consent of the people, governments that fail to protect the public’s rights can be both resisted and replaced with new

John Locke’s intricate yet fascinating perspective on government is found in his social contract theory, where he shares his beliefs on what caused the start of government and its intended purpose. Locke believes that government was formed in a time of natural law. Where everyone was a king, and ruled by their own judgement and natural instincts. Many refer to this concept as “perfect freedom”, because everyone was free to do whatever they wanted without the restriction of written law. According to Locke, the system was faulty due to a lack of security. Prior to the formation of government, natural law provided leeway for individuals to disrupt the freedom of others without legal punishment. Soon enough, there was an increased desire to protect and preserve their lives, liberties, and estates -so an idea was formed. Men joined together as one body and consented to the formation of government, giving up a portion of their

Locke’s viewpoint was that humans were naturally peaceful. He said that we all have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. He believed that we were naturally honest and good, that if there was no authority or government humans would still know right from wrong, and get along with each other. Locke thought that if our leaders do not lead us properly then we have the right to overthrow them.

John Locke believed that man’s natural state is pre-political. According to the dictionary , Politics is the “art or science of government” and also the “total complex of relations between people living in society”. Although both of these definitions cover a wide range of circumstances, the common attribute is the collection of people associated with a government or a society. Locke defined his state of nature as the environment that existed before man realized he needed organized help from other human beings. This organized help could take the form of protection from others or justice for settling disputes and

In part 4 Locke describes the state that all men and women are naturally in a state of freedom to control their actions and place the things they own and people as they think fit in the laws of nature. The law of nature gives one freedom

John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government also highlights the rights and responsibilities of a U.S. citizen, but most importantly it supports natural law and natural rights. Locke believed that the government should protect the natural law, the right that everyone is born with. Locke philosophies relate to a person's role in the government because the government is not supposed to own or rule over the people unless it's the will of the people. Everything that the people and the government do is supposed to be for the common good of