locke

lifespan

1632-1704

Key work

Two Treatises of Government - in which he argued against the divine right of kings and for individual consent as the foundation of political authority. He argued that both the ruled and the rulers are subject to the rule of law

what was Locke’s philosophy based on?

The belief in natural rights, including life, liberty, and property ownership, and the idea that government derives its power from the consent of the governed.

“government should always be…”

“the servant, not master, of the people”

social contract theory

A political theory that individuals consent, either explicitly or implicitly, to surrender some freedoms in exchange for protection of remaining rights, forming the basis for legitimate government.

true or false: Locke agrees with Hobbes that the social contract theory is a one-way relationship

The relationship is two-way: individuals must obey the law and the state must protect the people. He stressed the importance of the consent of the governed and believed in the right to overthrow a government that fails to uphold citizens' rights.

Limited Government

Government should be limited and based on consent. The state only gains legitimacy because of the consent of the people (who are acting rationally in giving the state some power to protect their life, liberty and property). People can remove this consent at any point if the social contract is broken. The government must only act to protect liberty and property.

Locke and the state

• Locke supported limited government, whose primary role is to protect natural rights.

• He stressed the importance of the consent of the governed and believed in the right to overthrow a government that fails to uphold citizens' rights.

Locke and Human Nature

Locke believed that humans are fundamentally rational and capable of self-governance. He argued that people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property, and that a government should protect these rights. Locke's view of human nature is fundamentally optimistic. He argued that humans are rational beings capable of morality and self-restraint. In his "state of nature" theory, he posited that people naturally coexist peacefully, bound by reason and a moral sense of natural law, which governs their actions and protects their natural rights.

Locke and Society

Society, in Locke's view, is formed voluntarily by individuals to better protect their natural rights (life, liberty, and property). The transition from the "state of nature" to society happens through a social contract where individuals consent to create and abide by collective norms for mutual benefit.