Locke’s Political Philosophy: Key Concepts
Locke’s Political Doctrine
John Locke explored his political doctrine in his Two Treatises on Civil Government. The first treatise is essentially a refutation of Robert Filmer’s thesis in Patriarcha (1628), which proposed a rationale for the divine power of kings. Published in 1680, Filmer aimed to defend absolute monarchy based on the principle that the king governs by the will of God, with his decrees and authority being as indisputable as any divine command. Contrary to Filmer, Locke argued in the first treatise that royal authority was not granted by God to Adam, the first father of mankind. Locke asserted that men were born free and, given the assumption of inheritance of patriarchal power, could never be under natural subordination to that power, which is considered absolute and arbitrary. This was Locke’s primary focus before moving on to his own conception in the second treatise. Locke is considered a father of liberal individualism.
The most influential work, Locke’s Second Treatise on Civil Government (1690), encapsulates the essence of Locke’s political thought and reflects the views of the rising bourgeois class.
Locke believed that man is rational and that freedom is inseparable from happiness, so that politics is the pursuit of happiness, living in peace, harmony, and security.
Locke developed a political theory of the social contract to explain the origin of human society and the government’s legitimacy. Unlike Hobbes, Locke believed that men are not inherently evil, and that absolutism is inadmissible because it violates civil liberties. His philosophy is based on the state of nature, the social contract, civil society, private property, and respect for government, including its legitimacy, division of powers, and the right of resistance against attacks on individual liberties.
State of Nature
Like Hobbes and Rousseau, Locke used the methodological hypothesis of a state of nature before civil society.
Unlike Hobbes, Locke believed that the state of nature is a peaceful state, regulated by natural moral law, in which rational individuals are aware of their rights and duties. Among these, Locke emphasized the right to self-preservation, to defend life, liberty, and private property, which is essential for the preservation of life. The state of nature is characterized by freedom and equality for all men and the absence of a common authority. The introduction of money facilitates the exchange of goods. From then on, individuals are no longer content with the few acres needed for a family’s survival.
Private Property
Unlike Hobbes, Locke believed that private property exists in the state of nature, predating civil society. This theory of property is central to Locke’s thought, reflecting his bourgeois origins. For Locke, private property benefits not only the owner but all men.
Property produces happiness, and greater happiness coincides with increased power, defining a capitalist hedonism. An individual has the right to private ownership of as much land as they can till, plant, and grow to use their products. Private property is a natural right as fundamental as the right to life, liberty, health, and integrity.
Because of the introduction of property, human society becomes more complex, and the number of conflicts increases. Men remain in the state of nature until, in their own interests, they decide to establish a pact to guarantee rights and freedoms in relation to potential conflicts that may arise in the state of nature.