John Locke Flashcards
liberalism
when was he alive?
1632-1704
what did he write?
Two Treaties of Government- 1690
what type of liberal is he?
classical liberalism
what did he deny about the state?
the traditional, medieval principle that the state was part of God’s creation
what did he dispute about the monarchy + state?
-that it was created by a higher power involving monarchs who had a ‘divine right’ to govern
-rejected that ‘ordinary’ people were ‘subjects’ of the state with a quasi-religious obligation to obey the monarch
what was his ‘true’ state?
one created by mankind to serve mankind’s interests
-would arise from the consent of the governed
what was there before the state?
a ‘natural’ society which served mankind’s interests
-the ‘state of nature’
what was Locke’s view of the state of nature?
-guided by rationalism
-underpinned by ‘natural laws/liberties/rights’ (e.g. right to property)
what was the modern state designed to do?
-improve a tolerable situation
-would resolve disputes between individuals more efficiently than under the SoN
how would the ‘state of law’ be legitimate?
if it respected natural rights/laws- ensuring ppl under the laws were never worse off than in the SoN
what must the state’s structures e,body?
the natural rights/liberties that proceeded it
what is the ‘social contract theory’?
‘citizens’ consented to accept the state’s rulings in return for a better situation
what nature did his state have?
a ‘contractual’ nature
-meant it would have to be a limited govt
what did the state always have to do?
represent the interests of the governed + require their consent consistently
how would the state’s power be limited?
-dispersal of powers
-executive + legislative branches would be separate
-lawmakers separated from law enforcers
-church + state separate
