John Locke’s Social Contract Theory

The State of Nature was a revolutionary world with an absence of political structures, order, and laws in Early Modern Philosophy. Currently, it has become the pathway through which activists project their perspectives of human nature; how individuals would act in the absence of law, the political establishment, or a civilization language. Philosophers extensively consent that it is human nature to join hands and create a state. For Locke, persons within this realm are morally obligated not to harm each other, be it property or life. He contests that with the absence of a governmental body of a kind, these states could break into violence cultivated by worry and lack of confidence in their rights (Armitage 421). Therefore, the social contract becomes a consensus supporting that the public should sacrifice some of their state rights with respect to peaceful social coexistence and protection provided by the law https://buytermpaperonline.com/

As an idea of avoiding a government with excessive authority, Locke believed in the idea of liberties and individual governance, which is a unique liberal aspect of Lockean reasoning since it directly opposes monarchic leadership. For Locke, the government should be a neutral ground of law with no authority to interfere with a person’s life (Armitage 40). The most remarkable utterance made by Locke was the notion of governmental legitimacy. He believed that a government should devote itself to the public but not the opposite. Locke became the first to suggest that if individuals are dissatisfied with their government, they have the right to regain control of their lives. Otherwise stated, the notion was described as the right to revolution.

Locke’s Viewpoints on Religion and its Impact on Philosophy and Human Development

As a complement, Locke wrote a comprehensive argument of Filmer’s theory. Locke is a Puritan descendant who converted to Socinianism and was raised during the Civil War. Consequently, he firmly believed that no sovereign power had the authority to dictate the religion of their community. To support his assertions, Locke referenced the ambiguity of religion from Henry VIII’s reign to his offspring, Elizabeth, which prompted much destruction and fatalities in England (Perry 76). The religious ideas provided by Locke were based on his surroundings. Even though he firmly believed that a person’s soul or essence was their own possession, through which the self is the only mediator, his perspective of the human body was quite different. To him, a human body is God’s property. Therefore, it is a natural law and a rule not to murder. Murder was considered a destructive act on God’s property. Based on this idea, humans are entitled to control themselves in whichever manner they feel satisfied. For Locke, the two rights are natural laws. Indeed, this notion is based on classical liberalism by Locke and resonates to date (You can hire a dissertation expert helpers)

Locke’s Idea on Philosophy of Mind and Knowledge

            Besides political reasoning, Locke also focused on epistemology and noted three major things. First, he discovered that knowledge is inherent in every human. “In a study “Concerning Human Understanding,” he introduced the concepts that define empiricism. Based on the notion of a blank slate and tabula rasa, he realized that humans gain knowledge from their experiences. No individual is born with innate knowledge (Milton 41). Second, he noted that education could build rationality in kids. Locke’s perspectives concerning how individuals obtain knowledge informed his ideas on learning, which he supposed could help nurture rationality in youngsters. Finally, he realized that personal identity is based on consciousness. His explanations of personal identity impacted future philosophers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

Conclusion

Locke made a remarkable contribution to the revolutionary generation of the last part of the 18th century in France and the U.S. During Locke’s young age, his right to revolution was among the most transformational quotes ever uttered, altering the world during its ascension. In numerous ways, his classical liberalism is analogous to the current nature of liberalism. Still, in numerous other ways, it is undoubtedly different. The Lockean idea comprises a confined government with limited power and limited scope, which acts as a solid support beam for individuals. Although numerous tenets have not altered, contemporary liberalism predominantly supports a big government and scope, and it is World War one and two that introduced those ideological transformations. Although Locke did not live to witness the outcome of his philosophical discoveries, his contemporary philosophy of liberalism could invariably split into numerous different ways since it was re-translated by incoming generations. The ideas provided by Locke proved effective in advancing modern Western Civilization, regardless of how liberalism is applied. Indeed, Locke is an icon and an individual who most contemporary philosophers can emulate.

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