Locke On Distribution Essay - 3207 Words

Any Lockeian scholar would be lying if they told you that any topic in the secondary literature on the Two Treatises of Government was more famous (or infamousÉdepending on who you talk to), widely debated, or caused more controversy than the old Oxford gradÕs theory of property. Some are shouting from the left that Locke argues a rights claim for subsistence for all individuals, that it may even support MarxÕs theory of exploitation. Yelling back are those from the right who claim that he formulates a moral justification for capitalist appropriation of property. Then of course there are those somewhere in between who are telling everyone to shut up because Locke wrote the damn thing over three hundred years ago in the political context†¦show more content†¦The rights of the individual as expressed in ones labors creates private rights. Ownership comes out of the appropriation of land and the mixing of labor into the appropriated land. This originates in the state of nature where there is no government above the individual to impede their efforts to use and hold onto their property nor regulate trade between buyers and sellers. Natural freedom, according to Locke, is to live within the bounds of natural law (reason) which are respected in the state of nature as the right to enjoy the product of ones labor and protect its use. This does not mean, however, that every person has a right to remove from nature everything that he or she wills. There are limits to what may be appropriated from nature. First, something may be appropriated from nature so long as it is enjoyed. Next, one may appropriate to the point of spoilage or destruction. It is a limit because the properties that were spoiled or destroyed should have remained common property. As common property, another person could have mixed his or her labors with nature, thus taking it his or her property. In terms of land, one takes possession of land by improving it. It is owned to the extent that one can manage the land and use its products, and is subject to the same limitations as the other things one can appropriate from nature through his labors. God has commanded that it be so to the extent that He commanded mankind to labor over the earth. And regardless ofShow MoreRelated John Locke and the Unequal Distribution of Wealth Essay800 Words   |  4 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;It is stated by John Locke that in the state of nature no man may take more then he can consume. â€Å"†¦make use of any advantage of life before it spoils†¦whatever is beyond this is more than his share and belongs to others. Nothing was made by God for man to spoil or destroy. (Locke 14)† Locke then goes on to say, â€Å"God gave the world to man †¦ for their benefit and the greatest conveniences of life they were capable to draw from it, it cannot be supposed he meant it shouldR ead MoreDavid Hume, John Locke and John Rawls on Property1482 Words   |  6 Pagesindividuals who are directly responsible for this it. In his work Of Justice, David Hume puts great emphasis on distribution of property in society. Hume believes that only the conception of property gives society such social virtue as justice. Justice, according to Hume, is an important social virtue the sole purpose of which is public utility. To prove his point of view about how property distribution defines the existence of justice in society, David Hume gives several examples. Take an example of utopianRead More`` Candide `` By John Locke1273 Words   |  6 Pagesdecide the ownerships of trophies. That was the time when the idea â€Å"property† was invented. Many wise men in the past, while thinking about a better format for people living together, argued meanings of property to people. British philosopher John Locke in his work Second Treatise of Government separates property as public goods shared by all humans and necessities for living created via labor. The value of property has changed over time, when later French phi losopher Voltaire in his novel CandideRead More Force, Morality and Rights in Thomas Hobbes and John Lockes Social Contract Theories1632 Words   |  7 PagesThomas Hobbes and John Lockes Social Contract Theories Throughout history, the effects of the unequal distribution of power and justice within societies have become apparent through the failure of governments, resulting in the creation of theories regarding ways to balance the amount of power given and the way in which justice is enforced. Due to this need for change, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke created two separate theories in which the concept of a social contract is used to determine the waysRead MoreAnalysis Of John Locke s The Great Gatsby 1326 Words   |  6 PagesLocke makes it clear that one individual does not own or have the right over another individual’s life, due to the equal creation of all individuals under one God (Locke 8). An individual has the right over their own body and laws that encourage one individual’s ownership over another is unjust and not natural to humanity (17). Property also plays an important role in Locke’s philosophy because it seems to be an extension of an individual’s right over one’s self. Slavery requires labor and this laborRead MoreWhy John Locke is the Greatest Philosopher of all Time1413 Words   |  6 PagesWhy John Locke is the Greatest Philosopher of all Time John Locke was a British philosopher and physician who lived from 29th August 1632 to 28th October 1704. 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A half century later, Jean Jacques Rousseau published Discourse on Inequality, a piece that explored the proprietary origin and distribution of equality while subtly critiquing John Locke’s theories. By the time Karl Marx began to explore bourgeois society and its shortcomings, Rousseau was an established Locke critique who Marx’s On theRead MoreComparing John Locke and Thomas Hobbes Essay1279 Words   |  6 Pages The formation of government is one of the central themes for both Hobbes and Locke. Whether or not men naturally form a government, or must form a government, is based on man’s basic nature. According to Hobbes, a government must be formed to preserve life and prevent loss of property. According to Locke, a government arises to protect life and property. Governments are born of inequality and formed to administer equality. Hobbes goes into a lot of detail concerning man’s interactions with one