John Locke

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how Locke's definition of what it is to be a human being, his connection to God and to other human beings, leads him to believe that freedom is a moral requirement. The writer proposes how this should naturally bring people to the conclusion that any morally-driven social arrangement will be founded upon the concept of freedom. The paper concludes that it is not difficult to see why today Locke is widely recognized as one of the philosophical founders of modern democracy.

From the Paper:

"Locke employs this basic blank sheet conception of man to assert that all men are naturally in a state of equality. This makes up one of the natural states man is in; with the other being perfect freedom. He writes in his Second Treatise of Civil Government, "To understand political power aright, and derive it from its original, we must consider what state all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and to dispose of their possessions and persons, as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature, without asking leave, or depending upon the will of any other man," (Locke, 487)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Kemerling, Garth. "Locke: Social Order." The Philosophy Pages, 2002. Available: http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/4n.htm.
• Locke, John. Two Treatises of Government. London: Everyman Publishing, 1993.
• McGreal, Ian P. Great Thinkers of the Western World. New York: Harper Collins, 1992.

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• Analytical Essay # 130257 : "John Locke and the Declaration of Independence"
• Analytical Essay # 134721 : "John Locke's Influence"

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