Political thinking of John Locke

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John Locke lived between 1 1632 and 1704, that is, the 17th century. In the 17th century
England produced two political theorists: Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. These were of
the first rank (class). The professions of both are more or less parallel --------- each of them
lived through a civil war disturbance and revolution, and each of them had to flee his
country to take refuge on the continent. Also, eventually, each of the two managed to come
back home (to England) to spend his last days in peace. Each of them also managed to
compose a great work on the nature of politics which seems to have grown out of reflection
of the experiences in revolution.

John Locke Background

Locke was born in Sumer set in England. Locke’s father was a country lawyer. John Locke
was brought up in a Puritan family where he learned the virtues of temperance and
simplicity. John was greatly influenced by his father and he lived perfectly with his father as
a friend, and he always mentioned his father with respect and affection. Because of his
simplicity and temperance Locke had a wide and cycle of warm and enduring friendship.
This is turn, must have contributed to his sympathetic view of human nature. He received his
B.A degree at Oxford University in 1656 and later he was awarded his M.A degree. Locke’s
period between 1686 onwards was dominated by writings and publication. The result of
these writing and publications were his influential works such as:

a) The first letter concerning toleration. This book was written in 1689.

b) His second book is called the two treaties on civil government. These two books were
written in 1690.

c) Essays concerning human understanding. It is called essays of human understanding.

d) Some thoughts concerning education. This was written in 1693.

e) The reasonableness of Christianity. This was written in 1695. Locke’s conception of

In his youth, he had a lot of opportunity to see the vicious (bad) aspects of human nature.
He lived in a period of great social unrest and his health was bad. Despite the fact that his
health was not good, he was not bitter. But he was always full of goodness to his fellow
men. His psychological theory is humanistic, so he is transacting people as human beings
not as animals. Locke claims that all men are born equal, but it does not mean that they are
all equal in all subjects and aspects because people differ in age, in virtue, in excellence etc.

Locke’s Political Theories

a) The State of Nature

According to locks a state of nature is a state of freedom. Man in a state of nature has
freedom or is free, but he does not have freedom to destroy himself or to destroy any of his
possessions. State of nature is governed by reason. Now reason teaches that all men are
equal, therefore, nobody should harm his fellow as far as their lives, health, freedom and
possessions are concerned.

b) The Contract Theory

According to John Locke’s theory, man passes from a state of nature into a political state by
means of a contract. It follows then that there is only one way that political society may be
founded, that is, the consent of the members. Therefore, only democratic societies are
founded upon consent.

c) The Concept of Property

Locke says that God gave the world to all men in common in order to use it to preserve life
and freedom. But what God provides is usually in its natural form. It is not immediately
useful to men; it has to be made useful by their labor, so we have to put in our labor in
order to change it. To Locke, privative property is a product of every man’s own labor and it
is limited to what he can use. According to Locke no man should have a right to a lot of
property, and there should be enough property for everybody. Somebody, according to
Locks, is recognized to have taken something too much if he wastes some of it. Now this
definition of property did not satisfy the people of England. Therefore, Locks had to expand
the definition of property by introducing the concept of money.

d) The Concept of Money

The concept of money gives man a way of storing up property without wastage. This way
removes the problem only that more than one can use. That is, the man who has surplus
money does not harm others as the man who has the surplus of maze and gets it rot in his
barns.

e) Locke’s Conception of Society and the Theory of Government

Locke says that people out themselves under government by the contract in order to
preserve their property (life, land and liberty). By putting themselves under government,
men do not give up all their right, but only those which must be surrendered for the
common good. The common good is the preservation of property.

f) Locke’s Doctrine of Majority Rule

According to Locke, when people sat up their government, they may place the supreme
legislative power wherever they like. According to him, monarchy, aristocracy and
democracy are all equally legitimate and they are all equally governments by consent or by
contract. However, Locke prefers the rule of the majority and that is democracy, and he
insists that the real and final power should be in the hands of the majority. The majority
have the right to act for the community, to represent and promote the interests of the
community.