John Locke s The Second Treatise Of Civil Government

Madeline Boche Dr. Thorn Philosophy 1301.040 24 March 2017 John Locke’s The Second Treatise of Civil Government In John Locke’s The Second Treatise of Civil Government, Locke discusses what the moral state of nature is and rejects the idea of a â€Å"divine right of kings.† John Locke was a product of the best schools in England and had a heavy impact on Western thought through his writings. As a Christ Church graduate, Locke largely discusses in his writings the state of nature, the concept of natural property and retributive punishment when these laws are violated. John Locke was born in Wrington, England on August 29, 1632. His father was a lawyer and served as a military man during the English civil war. Due to his father’s connections†¦show more content†¦The divine right of kings states that kings derive their power from God, not through their subjects. Locke largely critiques Thomas Hobbes throughout his work. Hobbes kept divinity out of his political philosophy because he was tired of ruling kings oppressing the people by claiming a divine right. Locke, on the other, had no problem with basing his political ideology in religion,but he disagreed with the idea that kings derive their power from God. For Locke, divinity played a crucial role in his moral state of nature theory. God created humans with basic rights, life, liberty, health and possessions. These components all play into the moral state of nature theory. Thomas Hobbes outlines his laws of nature in a very different way; he believes that there is no â€Å"natu ral property† and that the world’s resources are scarce, and we must fight for them. Locke had the opposite opinion; his laws of nature were based upon abundance and the right to â€Å"natural property.† Locke used examples from the Bible in order to support his claim to â€Å"natural property.† Locke stated that if a man tilled the land that he worked on, then it belonged to him. This idea of gathering propertyShow MoreRelatedThe Enlightenment Theory Of John Locke1627 Words   |  7 PagesEnlightenment theory philosophies of John Locke offered a future that could drastically change government, economic and social ideals. Thomas Jefferson borrowed liberally from the enlightenment theory from John Locke, specifically focusing on Locks theories of the equality of men, natural rights, and that people should have a say on how the government treated people. Jefferson created a draft document created a bold experiment, America. 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