Political Philosophy

Essay # 65177

History > European - 18th Century
Political Science > John Locke
Political Science > Mill, John Stuart
Political Science > Non-U.S.
Political Science > Political Theory

A discussion of political philosophy pre and post the French Revolution.

2,437 words () | 4 sources | APA | 2003 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper examines John Locke's theory of government as a forerunner to that of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. It continues to explore the impact the French Revolution had on future political ideologies, which are portrayed through Benjamin Constant's "The Principles of Politics" and in John Stuart Mill's "On Liberty." In conclusion the author discusses how these philosophies shaped Western society and democracy as we know it today.

From the Paper:

"John Stuart Mill, an advocate of man's innate rights during the mid eighteen-hundreds, wrote "On Liberty," an examination of government's interference with personal freedom through the fallacy of "self-protection." Mill contested that by trying to guard the freedoms of the people, the government in reality is restricting them, only imposing more laws, which take away or infringe upon the ones granted. True freedom can only come from the person, not the dictates of the ruling power. Mill stated, "Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign."