1 gen 1689 anni - Two Treatises of Government
Descrizione:
English philosopher John Locke wrote Two Treatises of Government, an influential work of political philosophy from the Enlightenment.
The first treatise was less important, being a direct reply to Sir Robert Filmer's work, Patriarcha, in which he argues for the divine right of kings, because their power was descended from Adam, biblically the first man and king. Locke believed this contradicted common sense, as this divine grant could not be found in any historical record, and rebuked the idea that a contract between God and Adam could be binding for the latter's descendants many generations later.
However, Locke is more known for the second treatise. He wrote that political power was driven by moral obligations; the government had to make laws for "the public good." The prevailing philosophy at the time was that government was analogous to family, in that it was natural that certain people had more power than others. Locke argued that when a human is born, they are naturally free and equal to all other humans, subject only to God. Humans had a divinely ordained duty to carry out the laws of nature, such as by punishing those who break that law. However, granting that power to any particular person would only lead to anarchy and injustice. To remedy this, humans will enter an implicit "social contract" with each other, granting consent to the government to be governed. This grants the people security in exchange for a small amount of liberty. Specifically, it was the government's duty to protect its subject's "natural rights," or ones every human was entitled to upon birth: the right to life, liberty, and property. the government ought to be divided between legislative, executive, and judicial powers. These all required the consent of the majority to function. If the government failed to protect these rights, the people were entitled to overthrow it. Locke included one's own body under "property"; no one was entitled to another's labor without permission. Additionally, anything an individual helps to create through their body is their property, as well.
The second treatise was revolutionary in changing the way people thought about government. It provided heavy inspiration for Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, in which he wrote that everyone is entitled to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" (he removed property from the list because of his condemnation of slavery). It insipired the Amerrican peopel to overthrow the government they believed had failed to protect their natural rights. Indeed, George Washington believed Locke to be "the greatest man who had ever lived."
Aggiunto al nastro di tempo:
US History Timeline
An outline of major events from (mostly early) US history.
...
Data:
