John Locke’s Political Philosophy: Key Concepts
John Locke’s Political Philosophy
Key Concepts
Consent
Free and voluntary agreement of an individual to become part of a political community. Synonymous with agreement or contract. Can be of two kinds: express (given clearly and explicitly) and tacit (implicitly granted by any individual by the mere fact of living and enjoying the benefits of an already created community).
State of Nature
Situation in which men are before forming a civil society through the social contract. Men in this state are governed by the natural moral law, which gives them certain rights and correlative duties, as well as the power to set and enforce the law.
Legitimate Government
The representation of the community once it has been constituted, elected by the majority, and that should govern the community according to the public good.
Liberty
The natural state of man consists in being free, not subject to any other man’s power. But in Locke, man himself is subject to natural law. Civil society comes to be the best defense of freedom.
Majority
How to make decisions in a civil society. It means a simple majority unless a qualified majority is explicitly required.
Absolute Monarchy
A form of government in which power is exercised by a single person in a concentrated way, with a tendency to despotism and tyranny.
Power
Ability to set and execute the law in a natural state. Men delegate these natural powers to the appropriate bodies of political society. Locke distinguishes three branches:
- Legislative: The power to dictate the law. This is in the hands of Parliament.
- Executive: The power to execute the law. This is exercised by the government.
- Federal: The power of a community in its relations with other communities. This is held by the representatives of the community.
Property
Locke sees property in a broad sense as a natural right which extends over one’s life, liberty, and possessions. The basis of private ownership is labor.
Politics or Civil Society
Occurs when a group of men meet and form a single body that has a common law and a judicial authority to appeal to in cases of conflict. Through the pact, an assembly is formed and a government is elected. The political power of the government ensures that there is no abuse of power by a strict division of power into three distinct areas:
- The legislature is the supreme power (Assembly), but not absolute power. It must respond to the trust placed in it and respect natural moral law.
- The executive is responsible for carrying out legislative mandates.
- The federative power is in charge of national security and foreign relations. (Note: For Locke, the judiciary was not independent, being only one aspect of the executive.)
State
A legal and political concept. It is the set of institutions that exercise government and apply laws to the resident population in a territory.
Natural Law
Rules governing the actions of man. Locke distinguishes between natural law and positive law:
- Natural Law: Can be discovered by reason. This law is universally binding, enacted by human reason as a reflection of God and inherent rights. This law is imposed on men in the absence of any state legislation. It proclaims the existence of “natural rights” and corresponding duties. Among them are the right to self-preservation, to defend one’s life, liberty, and private property.
Original Covenant
Although in the state of nature men have a natural law, not everyone respects it. Because of this, Locke proposes a covenant or agreement to constitute an organized society for the more effective preservation of their rights and freedoms. The creation of a civil society implies giving up certain rights, but carries some benefits:
- Men have a written law that defines natural law and avoids disputes about it.
- A judicial system is established that is fully recognized and avoids arbitrariness.
- A power is created capable of punishing crimes and enforcing judgments.
- Private property is preserved.
Naturally Free
There is a first initial state of nature, a state of “perfect freedom to order their actions and dispose of their property and persons as they should think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature, without asking leave, or depending upon the will of any other man.” In the state of nature, God’s creatures are free: free land, free animals, free men. For men, created so that they can know, express their thoughts, and work, this freedom stands as a natural (or native) right, the possibility of having their life and words as they see fit, hunt animals, and occupy a territory to work to survive.