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John Locke concept of property essay
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John Locke’s Views on Property and Liberty, as Outlined in His Second Treatise of Government
John Locke’s views on property and liberty, as outlined in his Second Treatise of Government (1690), have had varying interpretations and treatments by subsequent generations of authors. At one extreme, Locke has been claimed as one of the early originators of Western liberalism, who had sought to lay the foundations for civil government, based on universal consent and the natural rights of individuals. [1] Others have charged that what Locke had really done, whether intentionally or unintentionally, was to provide a justification for the entrenched inequality and privileges of the bourgeoisie, in the emerging capitalist society of seventeenth century England. The crux of these arguments either way have centered on Chapter 5 in the Second Treatise, entitled ‘Of Property’.
John Locke’s ‘Of Property’:
Locke was dissatisfied with explanations given by such authors as Robert Filmer, which had sought to rationalize the absolutism of monarchs by establishing that God had given all property to Adam and his heirs (based on the claims of Monarchs that they were indeed his descendents). Rather, his aim at the beginning of Chapter 5 is “to show how men might come to have a property in several parts of that which God gave to mankind in common, and that without any express compact of all the commoners.” [2]
Locke’s first assumption is that although God gave “the world to men in common,” all men have a ‘right’, in the first instance, “to their preservation, and consequently to meat and drink and such other things as nature affords for their subsistence.” [3] Each individual has also been given “reason to make use of it to the best advan...
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...London, Allen & Unwin, 1976.
Bibliography:
Gough, J.W. John Locke’s Political Philosophy: Eight Studies, London, Oxford University Press, 1950, Ch. 4.
Hundert, E.J. ‘Market Society and Meaning in Locke’s Political Philosophy’ in Journal of the History of Philosophy, XV (1977)
Locke, John (edited by Peardon, Thomas, P.) The Second Treatise of Government, New York, Bobbs-Merrill, 1952 [1690], Ch. 5.
Macpherson, C.B. The Political Theory of Possessive Individualism: Hobbes to Locke, London, Oxford University Press, 1962, Part 5.
Ryan, A. ‘Locke and the Dictatorship of the Bourgeoisie’ in Political Studies, XIII:2 (June, 1965)
Ryan, A. Property and Political Theory, London, Oxford University Press, 1987, Ch. 1.
Weber, Max, (trans. Talcott Parsons), The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, (2nd edn.), London, Allen & Unwin, 1976.
Locke clarified the problem by pointing out his notions that mostly derived from the natural state of human beings. Each man was originally born and predestined to have his own body, hands, head and so forth which can help him to create his own labor. When he knew how to use his personal mind and labor to appropriate bountiful subjects around him, taking them "out of the hands of...
In Locke’s essay, Book II called Second Treatise he explains his philosophical approach to the state of nature and how men are bound to a social contract giving consent to the government to protect their unalienable rights.
Locke also asserts that once title is obtained, a man can acquire unlimited property. In particular, Locke claims that the state of nature is given to all mankind in common and that property only becomes private property when we add our labour to it. In this paper, Locke’s concept of property will be explored in greater detail. ‘Though the earth, and all inferior creatures, be common to all men, yet every man has a property in his own person: this no body has any right to but himself. The labour of his body, and the work of his hands, we may say, are properly his.’
Throughout John Locke’s, Second Treatise of Government, he uses several methods to substantiate his claims on the natural right to property. Locke’s view on property is one of the most fundamental and yet debated aspects of his works within his respective view on politics. Locke views property as one of humankind 's most important rights, contending with the right to life and the right to liberty. However, certain claims made by Locke regarding property are may be unfeasible, which could be deduced from the time period in which he lived. Some of Locke’s arguments appear to be carefully considered and well executed, while others lack the equality that Locke strives towards. John Locke’s theory of property, is a somewhat well supported claim
Locke says that God made man not to be alone, thus putting man under certain obligations of necessity, convenience, and inclination to drive him into society and the understanding and means to enjoy it.
John Locke believes that man has a right to private property. According to Locke, God gave man this plentiful earth, with all of its plants and animals, to work on and nourish our bodies with. Locke credits god to
Locke, John. Two Treatises of Government, The Works of John Locke. Vol. 5. London: Thomas Teggs et al., 1823. 352-367.
Locke, John Essay concerning Humane Understanding, Book II ("Of Ideas"), Chapter 1 ("Of Ideas in General, and Their Original")
John Locke is one of the most influential Enlightenment thinker, and social contract theorist who aided the development of the Declaration of Independence with his wise words and theory. Locke in his most important and influential book The Two Treatises of Government defends his claim that all men are born free, equal, and with reason. The Two Treatises of Government allows the reader to understand the meaning of equality through Locke’s theory. Throughout the book Locke gives many arguments as to why it is imperial for societies to be equal, and how it is fundamental to humanity. Ultimately, Locke emphasizes the importance of equality mentioning how it allows society to prosper with the protection of government. The premise of the Social Contract Theory is people entering an agreement by creating a government that will aid in preserving natural law. Locke’s social contract provides the organization for how governments must protect citizens and ensure prosperity. The Social Contract
The central theme in Locke’s property argument is the natural right to life. Locke, in explaining the natural right to life, said, “every man has property in his own person.” Thus, he argued, the labor that comes out from one’s own body should be one’s own property. One can make a private property when one mixes his own labor with something in “the state that nature has provided.”(2.27) On top of this, Locke adds on that “God has given the world to men in common… to make use of it to the best advantage of life.”(2.26) An Individual does not need an universal
Unlike Hobbes, Bentham and Mill, John Locke emphasizes the protection of property rights when mapping out an ideal structure of the government. He offers straightforward explanations of the reasons why and the methods how a person may get access to the natural good and turn it into individual property. While I agree that Locke’s careful argument towards establishing private property rights is subtle, concise and humble, I disapprove his assertions that property consists of man’s life as well as his possessions, and that the right to property is a form of “natural” right of humans.
Locke, John (2009), Two Treatises on Government: A Translation Into Modern English, Industrial Systems Research, p. 81, ISBN 978-0-906321-47-8
Locke, John. "Of Property." Chap. 1 In Social Justice, edited by Matthew Clayton and Andrew Williams. 21-31. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2004.
Locke assumes that people must have found it to be necessary to establish political societies when the concepts of meum and tuum first entered their vocabulary, and differences then began to arise within the body of the people concerning the question of ownership and distribution of material goods. He also assumed that we have the freedom, and thus the right, to dispose of, within the bounds of the laws of nature, those properties which are intrinsic to our personalities, and in particular our lives and liberties. There is a corresponding assumption that the fundamental justification of government lies in its capacity to preserve the natural rights of its citizens and, in particular, their untrammelled enjoyment of their lives, liberties and property.
Nevertheless, Wikileaks makes the governments of many nations feel stressed when their secrets are being posted on Wikileaks without their awareness. For these governments, especially the U.S, Wikileaks is a terrorist organization that makes their societies be out of their control. Many Americans support Wikileaks because they believe that it is protected by the First Amendment, the right to Free Speech and Freedom of the Press. However, because of national security, many legislators have discussed curtailing the First Amendment to prevent Wikilea...