Student Paper SP001-05
Spring 2000, Section I
Reviewer Comments

Locke's Philosophy

 

The societies of England, France, and every other country were plagued with corruption and violence during the Middle Ages. There were problems in every segment of society from the aristocrat to the poorest farmer. Luckily, society has advanced dramatically since the Middle Ages. One of the major factors in the development of the human race was the writing of constitutions in England and France during the 17th and 18th centuries. These constitutions made society function much more smoothly. Many of the ideas behind the constitutions were based upon the views of several prominent philosophers. The most influential philosophers were Jean Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke. John Locke's political philosophy had the most influence on the ideas in the French constitutional experiments.

 

The basic concept of Locke's philosophy was that men were inherently good and quite capable of governing themselves. Locke said that, "...we must consider, what state all men are naturally in, and that is All men a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons, as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature, without asking leave, or depending upon the will of any other man."¹ This rhetoric has prevailed in almost every constitutional document ever written. In The French Rights of Man and Citizen the very first article says, "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good."² This idea definitely has Lockean roots. The idea that men were free is probably the biggest step up from the Middle Ages. Before this, nobility was the only class that had any freedom. Now every man was considered an equal. Equality is a central theme in the idea of human progress. Almost every modern country has equality for the citizens. The idea of freedom for the commoners can be traced all the way back to John Locke.

 

Both John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau had a huge amount of influence on the French constitutional documents. Both men believed that men were perfectly capable of governing themselves. Rousseau's philosophy was much more idealistic than Locke's. He felt that the best type of government was a direct democracy. Perhaps Rousseau was right, but direct democracy is impossible in a large country like France. Therefore Locke had more influence than Rousseau. Thomas Hobbes believed that men were generally bad and thought that there should be a strong monarchy to keep the people in line.³ The whole principle of the French constitution was to declare the equality of man and to free the people from oppression by the nobility. Hobbes's ideas were influential, but not so much in the constitutional experiments of France. They did have an influence on how the government ran the country, but not as much on paper. The French constitutional experiments are full of Lockean rhetoric and ideas.

 

The roots of Locke's ideas came from other various thinkers of the Enlightenment. Locke was well versed in the works of Sir Francis Bacon, Rene Descartes, and Isaac Newton. He combined the rationalism of Descartes with the scientific ideas of Newton, Bacon, and Boyle. For a while, Locke fell under Thomas Hobbes's wing, but this did not last for long. The main difference between the Lockean and Hobbsean views is the view of human nature. Hobbes believed that people were naturally evil and did anything that was in their own power to improve their personal standing. Locke believed that the problems that plagued society were the ruler's fault and if there were problems, it was because the ruler "failed to preserve people's natural freedom and attempted to enslave them by absolute rule."³

 

John Locke believed that man had the right to "preserve his property, that is, his life, liberty, and his estate…"⁴  The French echoed these rights in the second article of The Rights of Man and Citizen. The second article says, "The aim of all political associations is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression."² This document is simply a paraphrase of Locke's words. The Americans express similar ideas in their constitution as well. This idea for life, liberty, and property has advanced society dramatically. This philosophy provides opportunity for everyone, and the more that people are helped by something, the further society has progressed.

 

Locke also promoted religious toleration. He said, "The toleration of those that differ from others in matters of religion is so agreeable to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to the genuine reason of mankind, that it seems monstrous for men to be so blind as not to perceive the necessity and advantage of it in so clear a light."⁵ The French Rights of Man echos this philosophy. In the tenth article it says, "No one shall be disquieted on account of his opinions, including his religious views, provided their manifestation does not disturb the public order established by law."² These two statements definitely agree with one another. This idea of tolerance is one of the most important developments in society. Religious tolerance is especially important today. In the Middle Ages people were burned at the stake for worshipping the "wrong" God. Most countries today allow for freedom of religion although there are still some exceptions. In the societies today that do not allow religious freedom, there is a lot of violence because of religion. Locke's idea of religious toleration influenced the tenth article in The Rights of Man. This has helped decrease a lot of religious violence. The less violence that is in a society, the more progress that society has made.

 

The French constitution was based on the ideas of several different philosophers. John Locke's ideas had more influence on the writing of the French constitution. Some of the ideas that Locke preached were freedom for everyone, life, liberty, property, and religious toleration. His philosophy was well ahead of its time. His ideas are what many of the constitutions today are based upon. The ideas of John Locke had a dramatic influence on the society of France in 1789, and his ideas are also what we try to live by today.

 

 

Footnotes

 

¹ John Locke, "Two Treatises of Government, 1690"

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/l690locke-sel.html (March 6, 2000), 1.

 

² "Declaration of the Rights of Man-1789,"

http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/rightsof.htm (March 6, 2000).

 

³ Donald Kagan, Steven Ozment, and Frank M. Turner, The Western Heritage

Volume II Since 1648 (New Jersey: Simon & Schuster, 1998) 504-509.

 

⁴ John Locke, "Two Treatises of Government, 1690"

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1690locke-sel.html (March 6,2000), 13-14.

 

⁵ John Locke, "A Letter Concerning Toleration"

http://campus.northpark..edu/histor. . . sses/Sources/LockeToleration.html (March 6, 2000), 1.