Locke

Where does property come from, according to Locke, and why is it important? What does he think about the inequality of property?

Locke claims that God created Earth, but did not create it equally for people. Property is given to those who are a benefactor to humanity. Those that work hard, are given property. This is important because much like today's society, some people who work their tails off do not have the luxuries of others, whereas those that do not work and sit around are blessed with the luxuries from their family. Locke thinks inequality is just a person that does not work hard enough.

How does Locke define political power? Is his definition closer to Machiavelli's or to Aristotle's? Why do you think so?

Locke's definition of political power is that laws are put in place for the protection and rights of property and these laws are backed by the community for the public good. This is a closer definition to Machiavelli because although Machiavelli seemed to be an untrustworthy, deceiving person, he wanted to treat the people fairly, and be for the people.

Locke proposes a theoretical "state of nature." Describe it. Why does Locke need this idea for his political theory - what is he ultimately trying to do that requires him to start with a state of nature instead of any existing kind of government?

Locke's theoretical state of nature is that there are no written laws, everyone has equal freedom, and everyone has perfect equality. Locke needs this for his political theory because it is the backbone of just about every government and he states later that the law of nature is reason in which if everyone uses reason then there will be no conflicts.

When is rebellion against the government legitimate? Who is to blame if a legitimate rebellion occurs? What happens in the event of such rebellion?

Rebellion against the government is legitimate only if the people believe their rights are not being upheld by the government. Essentially if the rule of law is said to be broken by the people, they have every right to rebel. The government is to blame for the rebellion because they are the ones that were not providing for the citizens. Locke believed that the threat of a rebellion alone should prevent tyranny, therefore if a rebellion is made then the only thing left to blame is the government.

Explain what Locke calls the "law of nature." What is it, how is it enforced, and who enforces it? Why is enforcement of the law of nature a problem?

The law of nature according to Locke is essentially reason. Reason allows people to figure out whether someone deserves something or not. Reason is enforced by everyone. For example, if someone comes and takes my land, I have every right to take that land back because it was taken from me. Though, It would not be a reasonable punishment for me to go and kill the person that took my land if they did not harm me. Enforcing the law of nature is a problem because everyone's reasoning is different for a particular situation. Some people would want to kill the person who took land from you and other's would believe that just negotiating to get the land back would suffice.

What is the only legitimate source of governmental authority? How does that restrict what governments can legitimately do?

The only source of legitimate governmental authority is legislative. It restricts what governments can legitimately do because there is a separation of powers. Though they are separate, they conjoin to agree on what is just and what is unjust, so in a sense they have equal power but they all abide by the same laws.

What are the particular tasks the government must perform, according to Locke? Or, in other words, what obligations does it have?

The particular tasks of the government is to serve the people and the commonwealth. It is obligated to serve the people the way they see fit, meaning that the people give their consent to be governed so the people must abide by the laws.

What state does the state of nature degenerate into? How do people leave this state and form a political state? What are the benefits of doing so? In other words, why would people form a government if they didn't already live under one?

The state of nature degenerates into a state of war if there is no agreements and contracts made through the people. People leave the state and form a political state essentially by wanting to protect their land. People with large amounts of land want some kind of government to protect their land rather than continuously defending it. People that want to form a government are the people that have the money or have the land.