John Locke Social Contract Theory 1/21

What to Choose

  • Principles, institutions, government that would be chosen

When to choose

State of Nature

  • Equality of power & jurisdiction

  • Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…"

  • Liberty not license

Law of Nature

  • "No one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions"

  • Life, health, liberty, & property

  • 5th amendment: "nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, w/out due process of law…"

What to Choose

  • Absolute power?

  • You wouldn’t give up rights to life, liberty, & property

Freedom under Government

  • To have settled rules

  • In common

  • Made by a legislature duly erected

  • To follow my will where the rule is silent

  • Sir John Laws: "For the individual citizen, everything which is not forbidden is allowed; but for public bodies, & notably government, everything which is not allowed is forbidden"

"Crimes" in the USSR

  • ASA- Anti-Soviet Agitation

  • KRD- Counter-Revolutionary Activity

  • KRTD- Counter-Revolutionary Trotskyite Activity (And that "T" made the life of a zek in camp much harder)

  • PSh- Suspicion of Espionage (Espionage that went beyond the bounds of suspicion was handed over to a tribunal)

  • SVPSh- Contacts Leading (!) to Suspicion of Espionage

  • KRM- Counter-Revolutionary Thought

  • VAS- Dissemination of Anti-Soviet Sentiments

  • SOE- Socially Dangerous Element

  • SVE- Socially Harmful Element

  • PD- Criminal Activity (a favorite accusation against former camp inmates if there was nothing else to be used against them)

  • ChS- Member of a Family (of a person convicted under one of the foregoing "letter" categories)