JOHN LOCKE

John Locke was born in 1632 in England and is known as the "Father of Liberalism." After
completing his MA, he became a tutor at Oxford but was not interested in the role. He later
established himself as a medical practitioner. During this time, he came into contact with
Lord Ashley, who provided him with opportunities to meet various great leaders of the era.

Lord Ashley was charged for his support of the Restoration of Charles II. He was forced to
leave England and took shelter in Holland, where he came into contact with William of
Orange. Following the Bloodless Revolution of 1688, when William of Orange was invited
to occupy the throne, Locke returned with him to England. Locke passed away in 1704. He
was a contemporary of Hobbes and witnessed significant events such as the Restoration of
Charles II in 1660 and the Bloodless Revolution of 1688.

Major Works of John Locke

 Two Tracts on Government (1660–1662)

 An Essay Concerning Toleration (1667)
 Second Treatise of Government (1681–1682)
 An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689)

Influences on Locke

Locke was influenced by several theorists and events, including Filmer, Hobbes, Sydney,
Hooker, and the Glorious Revolution, which resulted in the replacement of absolute
monarchy with responsible government. His First Treatise on Civil Government refuted
Filmer, while the Second Treatise on Civil Government countered Hobbes.

According to Prof. Vaughan, Locke's treatises are "a gun with two barrels, one directed
against Filmer and the other against Hobbes." Locke was also influenced by Sydney’s
Discourses Concerning Government (1683), which emphasized that government is an
institution created by people for their security and interests, advocating the principle of
popular sovereignty. Locke borrowed the idea of the supremacy of the people over
government from Hooker and developed it further.

He wrote primarily during the time of the Glorious Revolution in England, a period that
marked the beginning of limited constitutional monarchy and parliamentary supremacy.
Many of Locke’s concepts—such as constitutionalism, natural rights, limited government,
and law-based authority—were inspired by the Glorious Revolution.

John Locke’s Concept of Human Nature

John Locke believed that all individuals are equal and born with certain inalienable natural
rights. He identified three primary natural rights: the right to life, liberty, and property.

Locke's view of human nature contrasts with that of Hobbes. While Hobbes believed that
humans are naturally selfish, greedy, and cruel, Locke held that humans are inherently
reasonable and moral. He also introduced the concept of the human mind as a "blank slate"
(Tabula Rasa), emphasizing that individuals are born without innate ideas and that their
knowledge and character are shaped by sensory experiences.

Locke elaborated on human nature in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding.

According to him, humans are naturally decent, orderly, and capable of self-governance.
Although generally peace-loving, humans may quarrel at times. However, they are not
always selfish and are inherently equal, possessing rights due to their humanity rather than
their position or strength.

Locke on the State of Nature

Locke rejected Hobbes’s view of the state of nature as a state of war of "everyone against
everyone." Instead, he described it as a period of peace, goodwill, mutual assistance, and
preservation. He saw the state of nature as pre-political rather than pre-social.

While Hobbes argued for the necessity of absolute power to protect individual lives, Locke
believed the state was created to address inconveniences in the law of nature. He outlined
three essential powers in a state:

1. Legislative Power – the supreme power of the commonwealth.

2. Executive Power – to enforce laws.
3. Federative Power – to manage foreign affairs.

Locke regarded the legislative power as the most important but not supreme, as ultimate
authority resided with the people. Following the Aristotelian tradition, he categorized
government into monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy, favoring democracy as the best
form of government. Locke's state operated on principles of religious tolerance and
opposed religious persecution. He advocated for the state to remain neutral in religious
matters.

John Locke’s Social Contract Theory

Locke was an advocate of limited monarchy and representative democracy. According to

him, people created government by entering into a social contract to protect their natural
rights, which were not adequately secured in the state of nature.

The social contract was based on the consent of the governed. Locke identified three
reasons for the formation of such a contract:

1. The existence of natural laws such as the rights to life, liberty, and property, which
no government can violate.
2. The absence of impartial judges to interpret and enforce laws.
3. The lack of an executive to implement fair and just decisions.

Locke’s contract involved all individuals, but he allowed those unwilling to join civil
society to remain in the state of nature. He also upheld the principle that minorities should
accept majority decisions and granted the people the right to revolt against the government
if their natural rights were violated.

Locke on Property

Locke distinguished between common property owned by the community (external

property) and private property, which an individual produces through their labor. His labor
theory of property, which stated that labor creates private property, influenced modern
socialism.

Locke believed there were no limits to how much property a person could acquire, as
property was sanctioned by God and earned by human effort.

Contributions of John Locke

 He was the first to distinguish between society, state, and government.

 He formulated the doctrine of natural rights.
 He introduced the doctrine of the supremacy of the community, which later
influenced Rousseau’s theory of General Will.
 He asserted that sovereignty is exercised by the community.
 His concept of the right to revolt inspired revolutions in America and France.
 Known as the "Father of Liberalism," he declared, "People are the source of all
authority."
 He laid the foundation for the labor theory, which influenced classical economists
and Marx’s labor theory.
 He opposed interference by God or religion in state affairs.
 Locke was a founder of modern empiricism, alongside Hume, Berkeley, J.S. Mill,
and Rousseau.
 He introduced the concept of Tabula Rasa, emphasizing the mind as a product of
evolution.