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What is John Locke's view on equality?
Equality is the driving force of Locke's political theory because it is the basis for our consensual participation in society, a requisite for the establishment of any state. As such, equality is not just necessary in the establishment of government but is also a requisite in maintaining a safe and stable nation.
How does Locke justify inequality?
Locke attempts to justify the origin of unequal possessions among men by defending the activity of those who attain wealth and by arguing that the laborer benefits in an economic system involving inequality.
What did John Locke believe in?
In political theory, or political philosophy, John Locke refuted the theory of the divine right of kings and argued that all persons are endowed with natural rights to life, liberty, and property and that rulers who fail to protect those rights may be removed by the people, by force if necessary.
How did John Locke define equality quizlet?
In his book The Second Treatise on Civil Government, what did Locke say about (the state of) equality? According to Locke no one person ("creature" in his words) has more equality than another. Everyone therefore is equal.
What are Locke's two main ideas?
Toleration and how men ought to lead their lives are two central themes to Locke's entire political philosophy, yet it is remarkable, if one approaches his works from the Two Treatises, how politically conservative and accepting he was at Oxford both of the Restoration and Charles's later Act of Uniformity.
What were Locke's 3 main ideas?
Locke famously wrote that man has three natural rights: life, liberty and property. In his “Thoughts Concerning Education” (1693), Locke argued for a broadened syllabus and better treatment of students—ideas that were an enormous influence on Jean-Jacques Rousseau's novel “Emile” (1762).
How does Locke account for the origin of property inequality?
On Locke's view, since some men are less degenerate than others, society has agreed that the less degenerate should have more private property, which vastly exceeds their labor, than other men, because of original sin.
What justifies property according to Locke?
Locke argued in support of individual property rights as natural rights. Following the argument the fruits of one's labor are one's own because one worked for it. Furthermore, the laborer must also hold a natural property right in the resource itself because exclusive ownership was immediately necessary for production.
How does Rousseau explain inequality?
Rousseau, in brief, propounded that inequality comes from property, but the increase in inequality is caused by the development of the human spirit. Further, he said that vanity among human beings and differences in property led to inequality - the rich became richer and the poor became poorer.
What is Locke's best statement?
Among Locke's political works he is most famous for The Second Treatise of Government in which he argues that sovereignty resides in the people and explains the nature of legitimate government in terms of natural rights and the social contract.
What is the Christian foundation of Locke's political theory?
God, Locke and Equality: Christian Foundations of Locke's Political Thought. In God, Locke and Equality , Jeremy Waldron argues that Locke’s mature writing s present an idea of basic human equality, grounded in Christian theism, and that this idea is “a working premise of his whole political theory” whose influence can be detected in “his arguments ...
What is the idea of fundamental equality?
According to Waldron an idea of fundamental equality must consist of two sorts of things: a set of one of more capacities, for example, rationality or physical strength, and some reason or purpose for which these capacities are intended and by which the lives of those who possess them acquire meaning and purpose.
Why is Rawls' idea of basic equality a shapeless set?
Waldron then contends that Rawls’ idea of basic equality is a “shapeless” set, because, unlike Locke’s idea, it lacks a transcendent reference from which the meaning and purpose of its parts derive. In Locke’s case this transcendent reference is to God and our duty, through which the happiness that we seek is assured.
What is the lesson to be learned from reading Locke?
The lesson to be learned from reading Locke is a moral one, and it is well worth learning.
What is Locke's answer to Waldron?
Locke’s answer, according to Waldron, is that whoever has this capacity is fit to discover God and the moral law of nature. The pursuit of these things and the endeavor to live by them gives meaning and purpose to every individual human life. This derivation of basic equality seems to work, but it is not a derivation of equality that Locke intended.
What are the advantages of Waldron's construction of the idea of equality?
One advantage of Waldron’s construction of the idea of equality is that it facilitates easy comparison with Rawls. Rawls’ idea of basic equality consists of two capacities: the capacity of having a conception of one’s good (a rational plan of life) and a capacity for a sense of justice, together with standard rational capabilities, e.g.
What is public reason?
[See Rawls Political Liberalism, New York: 1996, Lecture VI.] Public reason, on Rawls’ account, consists of all the reasons that ideally may be employed in a pluralistic democratic society to justify its basic institutions and to advocate fundamental justice.
What was Locke's essay about human understanding?
Locke’s “Essay Concerning Human Understanding” (1689) outlined a theory of human knowledge, identity and selfhood that would be hugely influential to Enlightenment thinkers. To Locke, knowledge was not the discovery of anything either innate or outside of the individual, but simply the accumulation of “facts” derived from sensory experience. To discover truths beyond the realm of basic experience, Locke suggested an approach modeled on the rigorous methods of experimental science, and this approach greatly impacted the Scientific Revolution.
What did Locke say about toleration?
In three “Letters Concerning Toleration” (1689-92), Locke suggested that governments should respect freedom of religion except when the dissenting belief was a threat to public order. Atheists (whose oaths could not be trusted) and Catholics (who owed allegiance to an external ruler) were thus excluded from his scheme. Even within its limitations, Locke’s toleration did not argue that all (Protestant) beliefs were equally good or true, but simply that governments were not in a position to decide which one was correct.
What did Locke write about property?
Locke famously wrote that man has three natural rights: life, liberty and property.
What did Locke say about the divine right of kings?
Rejecting the divine right of kings, Locke said that societies form governments by mutual (and, in later generations, tacit) agreement. Thus, when a king loses the consent of the governed, a society may remove him—an approach quoted almost verbatim in Thomas Jefferson 's 1776 Declaration of Independence.
What were the two treaties of government?
The “Two Treatises of Government” (1690) offered political theories developed and refined by Locke during his years at Shaftesbury’s side. Rejecting the divine right of kings, Locke said that societies form governments by mutual (and, in later generations, tacit) agreement. Thus, when a king loses the consent of the governed, a society may remove him—an approach quoted almost verbatim in Thomas Jefferson 's 1776 Declaration of Independence. Locke also developed a definition of property as the product of a person’s labor that would be foundational for both Adam Smith’s capitalism and Karl Marx ’s socialism. Locke famously wrote that man has three natural rights: life, liberty and property.
What was John Locke's contribution to the Enlightenment?
John Locke’s Death. The English philosopher and political theorist John Locke (1632-1704) laid much of the groundwork for the Enlightenment and made central contributions to the development of liberalism. Trained in medicine, he was a key advocate of the empirical approaches ...
Where was John Locke born?
John Locke’s Early Life and Education. John Locke was born in 1632 in Wrighton, Somerset. His father was a lawyer and small landowner who had fought on the Parliamentarian side during the English Civil Wars of the 1640s. Using his wartime connections, he placed his son in the elite Westminster School.
Who Is The Absurd In Albert Camus The Stranger?
While he believed that physical death is the complete and final end of life, the chaplain held on the religious teachings of life after death. Meursault was more focussed on himself and his environment more so than he was on society and human emotions Again, this reinforced his beliefs that life is just a fleeting moment and no regard is needed to focus on the meaning of death. In the courthouse, the crucifix that was waved at him also opposed his view of absurdity of human life and had him publicly denouncing Christianity through his word, "Then God can help you," he said.
What did John Locke believe?
John Locke was an extraordinary man doing something no one could do in his time. He spoke of the right to life, liberty, and property. He believed everyone had the same rights. And that slavery put people under absolute power under another person, which he thought unfair. It did not matter what race or religion you followed; however, he believed atheists were a threat. Many of the things Locke spoke of still affects today’s society. John was a social contrast theorists, which is a view that a person’s moral and political obligation are dependent on an agreement among them to form the society they live in which was given to them by equality. He did not only believe in equality in government but in religion too. John believed that religion…show more content…
Why did the abolitionists want slavery abolished?
The more opinionated activists, abolitionists, wanted slavery abolished because it was immoral way to treat human beings. The abolitionists were more aggressive in the fight against slavery. These people were not willing to compromise and firmly believed slavery should be abolished. Unwilling to compromise as well were the extreme pro-slavery activists. They believed that slavery should be allowed anywhere and the alternative would be to leave the union.
What did Karl Marx say about religion?
And He said, religion promises happiness in life for a while only. That is why Karl Marx critic about the ideology of religion and said religion is opium of the people. In additional, Marx said it necessarily a conservative, status-quo-preserving force (Mihaela Serban). Marx analysis and critique of religion perhaps one of the most famous and most quoted by theist and atheist alike (Austin Cline). Most of those who doing the quoting don’t really understand what exactly Marx
What was the difference between the free state party and the border ruffians?
As each group represents one of two opposing sides in the Civil War free state party is the United States of America or the Union while the border ruffians is the Confederate States of America. The free state party wanted slaves to be free through justified means like religion from Great Awakening and Second Great Awakening were many preached that all humans are created equal and since everyone is on equal terms then no one should enslave another person (Hahn 10/11). Other then religion a lot of European countries already banned slavery within their empires. So to many Americans it would seem as barbaric if a majority of the developed world has gotten rid of something altogether while the land of the free still has something that even opposes what is written in the constitution “all men are created equal”. Like with the caning of Sumner where Preston Brooks used his cane to beat up Charles Sumner on the senate floor because Sumner was insulting the way of life of the south (Hahn 11/8).
Why does the world state not want people to behave as individuals?
The World State does not want people to behave as individuals because they do not want the citizens to have new ideas and thoughts that could could expose the flaws of society. This is also why the World State bans religion since it encourages individuality, “The origin of individuality was religious, and although often ignored or glossed over, in time the idea of human dignity adhering even to the lowest of the low, transformed society from a place of brutality to one in which the relief of suffering has assumed high priority” (Kohl). Due to the fact that religion supports individuality, it also emphasizes that people are equal to one another.
What does Doe believe about the Seven Deadly Sins?
He believed that the people of earth were not taking heed of God’s word and that they were indulging in the seven deadly sins. Despite the fact that he is a loner who does not have much to his name, he does not seem to fit the profile of someone who is motivated by strain theory. Doe does not have tangible motives, and he has the means to achieve the motives that he does have. This means that he is not committing his crimes due to feeling strained by society, but that he’s doing it because it’s his goal. Comparatively, I believe Doe’s killings would relate more the rational choice theory.
How does Locke explain the emergence of inequality?
Locke tries demonstrate the emergence of inequality with the invention of money as a representation of what Smith calls surplus capital. Genesis is an interesting tool, because Locke uses the degenerate state of man to explain the tacit agreement to the inequality over private property among man. Again, a Pre Modern superstition is underlying and supporting the purported social reality of inequality, because in (c) the state of nature all men are equal according to their labor."But since Gold and silver, being little useful to the life of Man in proportion to Food, Rayment, and Carriage, has its own value only from the consent of man" (Locke, 302). Like David Hume and Adam Smith, Locke acknowledges that gold and silver coinage (or money) has little value to the (b) Indians of English America, or the (a) Biblical Adam relative to food and shelter, but has its value as a representation of surplus capital due to the consent of man. Just as men consent to form society from the (c) state of nature, so men consent to the value of gold and silver coinage as representations of surplus capital.
Why is Locke's belief that the state is meant to protect the natural right of private property a pre modern?
Ironically, underlying his modern capitalistic belief that the state is meant to protect the natural right of private property is a Pre Modern superstition of the degenerate state of man, because of the lack equality among men over private property. Locke tries demonstrate the emergence of inequality with the invention of money as ...
Why did Locke believe in inequality of private property?
Accordingly, Locke buys partially into Rousseau's noble savage, as well as believes the cause of formation of the state is inequality of private property, because the state must protect God's divine natural right of private property. Interestingly, Locke's acceptance of the Pre Modern Christian ...
Why did Locke say that the less degenerate should have more private property?
On Locke's view, since some men are less degenerate than others, society has agreed that the less degenerate should have more private property, which vastly exceeds their labor, than other men, because of original sin. Again, a Pre Modern superstition is being used to subtly explain away the circular nature of Locke's inequality argument.
What is the origin of private property?
In the Second Treatise of Government (1698), John Locke attempts to explain the origin of private property from the framework of the (a) Christian myth of Adam and Eve (or, more broadly, Genesis ), (b) America, and (c) the early modern theoretical entity of "the state of nature." This triad of themes reflects the fact that Locke is not a completely modern thinker, such as Rousseau, but retains Pre Modern as well as Modern ideas. Locke's Pre Modern belief in Adam and Eve is the foundation of his quasi modern belief in a state of nature; because while Rousseau regards the state of nature as a theoretical entity per se , Locke believes it to be a Biblical fact confirmed by the wilderness of America in the late 17th century. His political empiricism is better than his epistemological empiricism, because his use of this Christian myth and America enables him to avoid the inevitable reality that the "state of nature" is a theoretical entity.
Why did Locke believe that society consented to gold and silver coinage being the measure of private property or Smith?
Locke believes that society consented to gold and silver coinage being the measure of private property or Smith's surplus capital, because "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" (Locke , 302).
What is the subtlety of the natural right of private property?
A subtlety to his proof of the natural right of private property is its implicit moral condemnation of early modernity, because his proof uses Genesis, which , contrary to the Enlightenment, stipulates that humanity is in a degenerate state due to original sin.
What is the feminist interpretation of John Locke?
Hirschmann and McClure's edited collection of ten essays takes a critical look at the philosophy of John Locke and is part of the Penn State series of "re-reading the canon" from a feminist perspective. The main bulk of the work deals with Locke's political philosophy -- and focuses on his Two Treatises ...
What does Locke see as the ideal father?
Thus, for example, Locke not only repeatedly refers to the liberty of wives to leave their husbands if the latter don't act for their good, but also to the "nourishing father" (and uses the image of "nursing father" as law-giver); so too Locke sees this ideal father as "one of calm reason and conscience" with no power beyond that needed for a concern "for the child's good" and exercised with their tacit consent (p. 203). Finally, Locke even goes so far as to view the father as a kind of "friend". As Shanley also notes (p. 37), and as Locke advises Clark,
What did Locke endorse?
Locke is shown to endorse new social processes, which actually throw women back into the home, keep them outside public life and thrust onto them a new form of dependency on their husbands -- whatever his liberal rhetoric of individual freedom.
What to say when your son approaches more to a man?
as [your son] approaches more to a Man, admit him nearer your familiarity; So shall you have him your obedient Subject (as is fit) whilst he is a Child, and your affectionate Friend, when he is a Man.
Is a woman free to choose to marry?
A woman may be "free to choose" to enter a particular marriage, according to Pateman and Brennan, but she had no alternative now, for public ly earning her own keep was becoming increasingly impossible . Locke's theory is but a liberal accommodation to a new form of now capitalist patriarchy.
Does the father have absolute rights over his own offspring?
Moreover, the father not only does not have absolute rights over his own offspring, according to Locke, but he even shares parental power and the duty to care for them with the mother ( Second Treatise of Government para. 52) -- thus opening a crack for feminists to enter.