Locke Objections Flashcards
2 areas of controversy
Consent
Justified rebellion
Objection: we weren’t around to consent
Locke appeals to tacit consent
Tacit consent
Implicit, contrasted with express consent
Locke’s argument rests on
Tacit consent being a plausible way of grounding political obligation
Problem 1
For consent to count as valid it has to be intentional undertaking to give up rights
Response to problem 1
Does consent require an intention? E.g. Leaving your house in the morning - are you intending to waive rights?
Consent is given by an behaviour (action or omission) undertaken in the belief that (3)
It will change the normative situation of another
It will do so because it’s undertaken with such a belief
It will be understood by its observers to be of this character
Morally transformative consent requires
Token
Valid
For consent to be valid, several conditions must be satisfied (3)
Competent
Informed
Non-coerced
Problem 2
For tacit consent to to count as valid, the conditions for dissenting must not be so onerous as to be coercive, but is this condition met in the case of the state?
Moral: acquiescing is not sufficient for consent
Response to problem 2
Does dissent have to be cashed out in terms of exit or secession?
The proposal prong
A’s proposal is coercive only if it is wrongful, threatening to violate the rights of B
The choice prong
A’s proposal is coercive only if B has no reasonable choice but to succumb to A’s proposal
Justified rebellion
Locke says we should rebel when it looks to you like the system of government is not upholding the laws of nature and not preserving property
Problem for rebellion
There is ambiguity as to who’s judgement is being appealed to
