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John Locke (August 29th 1632 - October 28th 1704) was born in small town in England. He was a philosopher who had a lot of influences on the improvement of political philosophy. His philosophy was based on idea that theory of mind is coming from experiences. He stated that human spirit doesn't have any innate ideas or principles. He also assumed that the mind was a "blank slate" or "tabula rasa". This statement is totally opposite to Christian philosophy. He represented that common-sense should determinate every human activity. He said that "No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience". Locke is best known as a champion of freedom. In his work "A Letter Concerning Toleration" he represents the principle of religious freedom. This letter was followed by the "Essay Concerning Human Understanding" who is determined by the concert of freedom, and spiritual freedom or freedom of thought. He also deals with the problems in political freedom and the legitimacy of politics in his work called "Two Treatises of Government".
At the beginning of his "First Treaties of Government", Locke stands up against the absolute power and slavery. He says that the core of Filmer's teachings that each government is absolute monarchy, and that the basis of which it comes is that no one man is born free (Filmer was political theorist who supported the divine right of kings to rule). However, Locke stated that all men are born free. Later on, Filmer tried to use Bible to support his statements, but Locke used similar resources and comes to opposite conclusions. He interprets certain parts of the Bible in order to prove that God had no intention to bring one person under another. Every man has a property in his own person. This nobody has a right to, but himself.
In "Second Treaties of Government" Locke leaves this way of analysis. He starts with the question of the nature of political power and the purpose of civil government. According to Locke, political power represents laws with the death penalty, in order to protect the property and the use of violence in the execution of such laws, and all for the common good.
According to Locke's definition of the function of government; the greatest guarantee of liberty is separation of powers on law power, executive power, and federation. The first passes laws while the second provides their function through the administration and the court. The third applies the regulations international laws. A freedom may be threatened if all those functions are under control of one person, and for that reason it is important to separate officers and creators of laws. So laws should be made in the parliament, while executive power is entrusted to the ruler. Also, all political power must be associated with morality. His idea of the limitations of government is very important because that idea protects rights for liberty, property, life, and personality. His quote shows that very clearly: "Every man has a property in his own person. This nobody has a right to, but himself". If the government does not respect the natural rights of the people, they have the right to rebel against government. However, people cannot rebel if governor respects the natural rights (especially freedom and property).
Opposite to Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (June 28th 1712 - July 2nd 1778) is a supporter of democratic ideas. In his works he was looking for a political solution for social inequality. His works express a protest against feudalism and inequality. In main part of "Social Contract", Rousseau starts from natural state where all people were equally free. There was just physical inequality which comes from differences in growth, health, and age. There was not private ownership and because of it there isn't injustice.
Rousseau rejects Locke's concept of the natural state. A natural state is the state of isolation for him. He said: "Absolute silence leads to sadness. It is the image of death". In this state man is "good", but man is happier when he is connected with other people; with society humans procedures receive moral evaluation; everybody is a judge and everybody is "the punisher" for caused insult or injustice. So the fear of revenge leads to creation of the laws.
Settling in one place led to the mutual rapprochement of people, but also it led to the private ownership, slavery, and poverty. That is how first inequality and the formation of civil society begin. That resulted in to the competitive struggle and the tendency for accumulation of wealth. So civil society is "fruit of unhappy evolution" in Rousseaus eyes. The state was created as a suggestion of rich to poor people. It supposes to keep people's rights and freedom because people didn't give up of their rights when they entered the country. Every single man brought his personality and power under the control of the general will.
The other inequality appeared with foundation of the state -political. A difference between a ruling and a minor class is now added on the difference between poor and rich. According to Rousseau, this led to the highest level of inequality where all people are in the same way illegal because they have dictatorship of one person who is using force to keep power. He didn't find best solution for this problem, but he said that people must have at least the right for a referendum because they have to accept already declared regulations.
He recognized tree different types of government: democracy, monarchy, and aristocracy. Democratic government is the ideal according to Rousseau. All people are involved in to the administrative functions. Monarchy is acceptable only if it is accepted by the people, and if it is called Republican Monarchy. Aristocracy includes control of a small number of people. It also has to be democratic type of government because one cannot rule by himself. Power belongs to people.
He was dreaming of a small democratic state in which everyone had only a little bit of private property in order to satisfy their own needs. He didn't approve capitalistic progress because it increased social disagreements. In his quote we can see it clearly: "You forget that the fruits belong to all and that the land belongs to no one."
In all those paragraphs above we can see that Locke holds that we have natural rights, rights that are in us as human beings independently of our being members of a political community. On the other hand, Rousseau denies it, maintaining that all rights come from the state. Locke holds that government authority is legal only within certain limits; it is bounded by our natural rights, which we create for governments to preserve. Since Rousseau recognizes no such rights, he recognizes no such limits. For him, government may use authority over anything to promote the common good. That doesn't mean we have no rights; we have the rights the government allots to us. Democratic government works for us because we have some type of control over a government and that is one of the main reasons why I believe that Rousseau's ideas are better, moderate, and superior than Locke's.
thanks
John Locke (August 29th 1632 - October 28th 1704) was born in small town in England. He was a philosopher who had a lot of influences on the improvement of political philosophy. His philosophy was based on idea that theory of mind is coming from experiences. He stated that human spirit doesn't have any innate ideas or principles. He also assumed that the mind was a "blank slate" or "tabula rasa". This statement is totally opposite to Christian philosophy. He represented that common-sense should determinate every human activity. He said that "No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience". Locke is best known as a champion of freedom. In his work "A Letter Concerning Toleration" he represents the principle of religious freedom. This letter was followed by the "Essay Concerning Human Understanding" who is determined by the concert of freedom, and spiritual freedom or freedom of thought. He also deals with the problems in political freedom and the legitimacy of politics in his work called "Two Treatises of Government".
At the beginning of his "First Treaties of Government", Locke stands up against the absolute power and slavery. He says that the core of Filmer's teachings that each government is absolute monarchy, and that the basis of which it comes is that no one man is born free (Filmer was political theorist who supported the divine right of kings to rule). However, Locke stated that all men are born free. Later on, Filmer tried to use Bible to support his statements, but Locke used similar resources and comes to opposite conclusions. He interprets certain parts of the Bible in order to prove that God had no intention to bring one person under another. Every man has a property in his own person. This nobody has a right to, but himself.
In "Second Treaties of Government" Locke leaves this way of analysis. He starts with the question of the nature of political power and the purpose of civil government. According to Locke, political power represents laws with the death penalty, in order to protect the property and the use of violence in the execution of such laws, and all for the common good.
According to Locke's definition of the function of government; the greatest guarantee of liberty is separation of powers on law power, executive power, and federation. The first passes laws while the second provides their function through the administration and the court. The third applies the regulations international laws. A freedom may be threatened if all those functions are under control of one person, and for that reason it is important to separate officers and creators of laws. So laws should be made in the parliament, while executive power is entrusted to the ruler. Also, all political power must be associated with morality. His idea of the limitations of government is very important because that idea protects rights for liberty, property, life, and personality. His quote shows that very clearly: "Every man has a property in his own person. This nobody has a right to, but himself". If the government does not respect the natural rights of the people, they have the right to rebel against government. However, people cannot rebel if governor respects the natural rights (especially freedom and property).
Opposite to Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (June 28th 1712 - July 2nd 1778) is a supporter of democratic ideas. In his works he was looking for a political solution for social inequality. His works express a protest against feudalism and inequality. In main part of "Social Contract", Rousseau starts from natural state where all people were equally free. There was just physical inequality which comes from differences in growth, health, and age. There was not private ownership and because of it there isn't injustice.
Rousseau rejects Locke's concept of the natural state. A natural state is the state of isolation for him. He said: "Absolute silence leads to sadness. It is the image of death". In this state man is "good", but man is happier when he is connected with other people; with society humans procedures receive moral evaluation; everybody is a judge and everybody is "the punisher" for caused insult or injustice. So the fear of revenge leads to creation of the laws.
Settling in one place led to the mutual rapprochement of people, but also it led to the private ownership, slavery, and poverty. That is how first inequality and the formation of civil society begin. That resulted in to the competitive struggle and the tendency for accumulation of wealth. So civil society is "fruit of unhappy evolution" in Rousseaus eyes. The state was created as a suggestion of rich to poor people. It supposes to keep people's rights and freedom because people didn't give up of their rights when they entered the country. Every single man brought his personality and power under the control of the general will.
The other inequality appeared with foundation of the state -political. A difference between a ruling and a minor class is now added on the difference between poor and rich. According to Rousseau, this led to the highest level of inequality where all people are in the same way illegal because they have dictatorship of one person who is using force to keep power. He didn't find best solution for this problem, but he said that people must have at least the right for a referendum because they have to accept already declared regulations.
He recognized tree different types of government: democracy, monarchy, and aristocracy. Democratic government is the ideal according to Rousseau. All people are involved in to the administrative functions. Monarchy is acceptable only if it is accepted by the people, and if it is called Republican Monarchy. Aristocracy includes control of a small number of people. It also has to be democratic type of government because one cannot rule by himself. Power belongs to people.
He was dreaming of a small democratic state in which everyone had only a little bit of private property in order to satisfy their own needs. He didn't approve capitalistic progress because it increased social disagreements. In his quote we can see it clearly: "You forget that the fruits belong to all and that the land belongs to no one."
In all those paragraphs above we can see that Locke holds that we have natural rights, rights that are in us as human beings independently of our being members of a political community. On the other hand, Rousseau denies it, maintaining that all rights come from the state. Locke holds that government authority is legal only within certain limits; it is bounded by our natural rights, which we create for governments to preserve. Since Rousseau recognizes no such rights, he recognizes no such limits. For him, government may use authority over anything to promote the common good. That doesn't mean we have no rights; we have the rights the government allots to us. Democratic government works for us because we have some type of control over a government and that is one of the main reasons why I believe that Rousseau's ideas are better, moderate, and superior than Locke's.