John Locke s Views On Government And Democracy - 1626 Words

Introduction Government and more importantly democracy in government has always been an important aspect of any society. Theories created about government seeks to shed light and provide insight to the masses so that they will be more capable of understanding what their government is all about, the policies that stand for and how accessible they are to the citizens of the country. The theorists being examined in this study are John Locke and J.S. Mills. These 2 theorists support democracy, and the rights of people to have a say in their government. They have shared their views on how a democratic government should operate and have influenced many other theorists and entire governments with their views governments as knows as the United†¦show more content†¦Locke also claimed that for a government to be legitimate the people must freely surrender some of their power. They do so to foster a stable, comfortable and enjoyable life. His point of view on political legitimacy explains that the starting-point at which the state of nature begins is one in which all individuals are equally free to act within the constraints of natural law and no individual is subject to the will of another. He said that the normative concept of political legitimacy is often seen as related to the justification of authority. He understands that the state of nature is one of equal rights. In the Natural laws state, according to John Locke this is not adequately specific to rule a society but cannot enforce it when violated. To this he suggested a solution this is a social contract that transfers political authority to a civil state that can realize and secure the natural laws. Government by consent of the governed John Locke presenting many ideas relating to Government, one strong belief he possessed was the fact that a good democratic Government had to exist through the permission of the people being ruled. Seeing that people are born natural free and have control over their political and social state of mind, they had to surrender some of their rights to the government for that governmentShow MoreRelatedMonarchy Vs. Democracy By Thomas Hobbes And John Locke1655 Words   |  7 Pages Monarchy vs Democracy Through assessing both monarchy and democracy from both perspectives of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, one can see that democracy creates the most beneficial outcome. Hobbes had a pessimistic view of people. He believed humans were selfish, doing anything to further their own position in life. Hobbes believed in an absolute monarchy, a government that gave all the power to a king or queen. Even though he distrusted democracy, he believed that a diverse group of representativesRead MoreA Thesis Statement : Monarchy And Democracy1476 Words   |  6 Pages Thesis Statement: Monarchy and Democracy Through assessing both monarchy and democracy from both perspectives of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, one can see that democracy creates the most beneficial outcome. Today, many people associate the ideals Locke adopts with democracy. Although, in Locke’s book, Second Treatise of Government, he did not solely focus on democracy. He listed many types of government, not favoring any. He believed that as long as they adhere to his rules, they remain validRead MoreThe Constitutional Democracy Of The United States861 Words   |  4 Pages Constitutional democracy was created to insure the rights of the people. A constitutional democracy consists of â€Å" A government that enforces recognized limits on those who govern and allows the voice of the people to be heard through free, fair, and relatively frequent elections.† Debates revolved around one big question of â€Å"how to protect individual rights?† The founders had intense debates and wars in order to create a government that would be beneficial to the both the country and its peopleRead MoreThomas Hobbes And John Locke Essay1441 Words   |  6 PagesEifling-Question 4 Hobbes and Locke During and after the English Revolution, a few philosophers expressed different views on their philosophical outlook and life experiences. Some of the most outstanding thinkers include Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. They had opposing views on governance matters, but the two, also, had striking similarities. In addition, the two represented an increasingly modernized European population that despised absolute kingship. Both Hobbes and Locke proposed a conception ofRead MoreThe Work Of John Locke1395 Words   |  6 Pagespeople s in the form of a government. The government is, therefore, portrayed, in this case, as an external power belonging to the people, by the people and for the people. These contrasting theories have generated heated arguments on which of them is analytically correct. This paper provides an analysis of the work of John Locke with regard to explaining why individuals submit themselves to external power to form a society. Also, the paper provides defensive evi dence explaining why Locke s work isRead MoreThe State Of Nature : Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, And Jean Jacques Rousseau902 Words   |  4 Pages　 The state of nature is the state were humans existed before government was ever created. There once was a period were there were not any rules, or laws to obey. In a state of nature there are no social goods. No farming, housing, technology, or education. With a state of nature there must be guaranteed that no one will harm one another, and people must rely on other s to keep their word, and not go back on what they say. Living in a state of nature was no way to live honestly. A state of natureRead MoreThe Age Of Enlightenment And The Scientific Revolution1675 Words   |  7 Pagesfor the future American society and planted the way for cultural and humanistic enrichment. The Age of the Enlightenment raised new concepts in education, democracy, and human freedom. The new humanistic philosophy promoted the polish of the human intelligence and made education a longing that lasted in the following centuries. Names like John Locke, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, and many more, contributed with their ideas about reasoning, religious tolerance, and human equality to theRead MoreJohn Locke s State Of Nature993 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Locke 1.John Locke describes the state of nature in multiple ways. He claims that the state of nature has a law of nature to govern it. Then he goes on by saying no one man comes by power over another. He describes it as a state of equality . 2.People left the state of nature and joined a political society by establishing a government because security of personal property was not provided in the state of nature. Although the state of nature is considered to be free, it falls short to issuesRead MorePros And Cons Of Anarchy1336 Words   |  6 Pagesrefers to the absence of government. Anarchists believe all forms of hierarchy are unjust and corrupt because they are maintained by violence. The concept is often negatively looked upon as it is associated with disorder and chaos due to the fact individuals are free to do as they please in society. Anarchic experiences around the world highlight the pros and cons of anarchy. Philosophers have distinct perspectives on how they view the state of anarchy in politics as they view the ideal as either problematicRead MoreThe Natural Rights Of American Democracy1342 Words   |  6 Pages American democracy is a government which whom the power is vested by the people. The United States government has fulfilled the American democracy however, there has been major fulfilments that have not been completed. The start to our democracy begin with our Enlightenment ideas which influenced our founding fathers. These ideas dealt with Natural Rights, Social Contract, and Revolution. The Natural Rights idea comes from a famous philosopher named John Locke. He basically states that every human