John Locke, Life, Liberty and Property Analytical Essay by Mark Lewis
John Locke, Life, Liberty and Property
A discussion on whether John Locke right when he said we have a natural right to life, liberty and property.
# 111598
| 2,027 words
| 4 sources
| MLA
| 2009
| 
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Description:
The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which John Locke is correct when he determines that we have a natural right to life, liberty and property. In order to do so, the paper outlines Locke's essential thesis as laid down in his "Two Treaties of Government", published in 1689. It analyses how Locke understood and conceptualised rights and freedom and how this conception was based on the fundamental idea of natural rights that are provided to all men equally by god.
From the Paper:
"From this basis Locke moved onto the second treatise. Here is asserts the argument that every person has a series of natural rights that are placed upon them by god himself. Locke determines that as all men are born through god then that god bestows upon them certain rights as a result of their very existence (Bennett, 1971). As such, the concept of nature is pivotal to Locke's understanding. Although like Hobbes before him Locke sees the state of nature itself to be inherently based on anarchy, he nonetheless suggests that the natural state of man is freedom. Men are essentially born free with the basic rights to live their lives within the confines of the state of nature. As such, the natural state of freedom is confined by the state of nature itself (Bennett, 1971). In this sense, Locke is able to account for the manner in which one person's free will impacts upon another's. "Sample of Sources Used:
- Bennett, Jonathon Francis. "Locke, Berkeley, Hume: Central Themes" Oxford: Clarendon, 1971.
- Filmer, Robert. "Patriarcha and other political works of Sir Robert Filmer" Oxford: Blackwell, 1949.
- Hampsher-Monk, Iain. "A History of Modern Political Thought: major political thinkers from Hobbes to Marx" Oxford: Blackwell, 1992.
- Locke, John. "2 Treatises of Government" edited by Peter Laslett. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988.
- O'Connor, Daniel John. "John Locke" New York: Dover Publications, 1967.
Cite this Analytical Essay:
APA Format
John Locke, Life, Liberty and Property (2009, January 26)
Retrieved May 30, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/analytical-essay/john-locke-life-liberty-and-property-111598/
MLA Format
"John Locke, Life, Liberty and Property" 26 January 2009.
Web. 30 May. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/analytical-essay/john-locke-life-liberty-and-property-111598/>