Locke Flashcards
(26 cards)
locke on political power
a right to make laws with penalties of death and all less penalties for the regulation and preservation of property
locke on rights
understood as entitlements, to do/not do things, to be in certain states, that others do/not do certain things
3 types of property
common, collective, private
common property
held in common, eg parks
collective property
control and use managed by a collective
private property
you control use and access
what are natural and legal rights
natural - inalienable, legal - dependent on a political structure
locke quote on the role of government
‘to create political and legal structures that protect and enforce our natural rights’
political structures based on natural rights
american declaration of independence, french declaration of rights, american constitution
locke against arbitrary authority
1689 - empiricism, against dogma and faith
1689 - against despotic rule and divine right of kings
lockes treatises of government
1 - against the divine right of kings, 2 - what is legitimate authority
filmer on our origins
we are born into servitude to our fathers, masters and sovereign whose authority comes from god
locke on god as the king
‘god is the cosmic king, we are all gods subjects, including the king’, we are made for gods pleasure not the king’s
lock on equality and natural authority
no mature and rational person is naturally subject to the authority of any other, any such human authority can only be an artificial creation, each person must be able to act as an authority over themselves
lockes state of nature
all rulers of illegitimate governments are in a state of nature, all men who remain under the gov are in the state of nature as they are bound by natural law instead of legitimate politics
can we punish the breaking of natural law w/o an authority?
in the absence of legitimate authority we have equal rights to punish transgressions of natural law
issues with equal rights to punish
we may have differing views on appropriate punishment, we may lack the power to enforce natural law
why we need authority
as we cant punish transgressors ourselves we should transfer this right to a government based on the consent of people
locke on the only legitimate government
requires explicit consent and must involve the exercise of our freedom and equality
locke counter to hobbes state of nature
the state of nature (present in legit government absence) is not always war but it can give rise to a state of war
locke on slavery
rejects natural servitude, ‘so vile and miserable an estate of man’
locke on allowing slavery
if you subdue an opponent in a war it should be allowed, slavery following a just war is war continued but with death postponed
lockes illegitimate slavery
the imposition of absolute power of life and death over another, brought about by tyrants, it is right to rebel - we can commit regicide if we are put in illegitimate slavery
property/authority over ourselves
my agency is enabled in my body, i have property in my own person - if you restrict my body you restrict my freedom and enslave me
