Frida ghitis: Locke was most renowned for his political theory. She says the original state of nature was happy and characterized by reason and tolerance. The policy of governmental checks and balances was set down by locke, she says.
Frida ghitis: Locke was most renowned for his political theory. She says the original state of nature was happy and characterized by reason and tolerance. The policy of governmental checks and balances was set down by locke, she says.
Frida ghitis: Locke was most renowned for his political theory. She says the original state of nature was happy and characterized by reason and tolerance. The policy of governmental checks and balances was set down by locke, she says.
Locke believed that the original state of nature was happy and characterized by reason and tolerance. In that state all people were equal and independent, and none had a right to harm another's "life, health, liberty, or possessions." The state was formed by social contract because in the state of nature each was his own judge, and there was no protection against those who lived outside the law of nature. The state should be guided by natural law. Rights of property are very important, because each person has a right to the product of his or her labor. Locke forecast the labor theory of value. The policy of governmental checks and balances, as delineated in the Constitution of the United States, was set down by Locke, as was the doctrine that revolution in some circumstances is not only a right but an obligation. At Shaftesbury's behest, he contributed to the Fundamental Constitutions for
the Carolinas; the colony's proprietors,
however, never implemented the document. According to Locke, political power is the natural power of each man collectively given up into the hands of a designated body. The setting up of government is much less important, Locke thinks, than this original social political compact. A community surrenders some degree of its natural rights in favor of government, which is better able to protect those rights than any man could alone. Because government exists solely for the wellbeing of the community, any government that breaks the compact can and should be replaced. The community has a moral obligation to revolt against or otherwise replace any government that forgets that it exists only for the peoples benefit. Locke felt it was important to closely examine public institutions and be clear about what functions were legitimate and what areas of life were inappropriate for those institutions to participate in
or exert influence over. He also
believed that determining the proper role of government would allow humans to flourish as individuals and as societies, both materially and spiritually. Because God gave man the ability to reason, the freedom that a properly executed government provides for humans amounts to the fulfillment of the divine purpose for humanity. For Locke, the moral order of natural law is permanent and selfperpetuating. Governments are only factors contributing to that moral order. Ultimately Locke identified the basis of a legitimate government. According to Locke, a ruler gains authority through the consent of the governed. They duty of that government is to protect the natural rights of the people, which Locke believed to include Life, Liberty, and Property. If the government should fail to protect these rights, the