Property Debate Between Locke & Rousseau Essay

Words: 1117
Pages: 5
Open Document
Introduction
John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau, two philosophers with differing opinions concerning the concept of private property. Rousseau believes that from the state of nature, private property came about, naturally transcending the human situation into a civil society and at the same time acting as the starting point of inequality amongst individuals. Locke on the other hand argues that private property acts as one of the fundamental, inalienable moral rights that all humans are entitled to. Their arguments clearly differ on this basic issue. This essay will discuss how the further differences between Locke and Rousseau lead from this basic fundamental difference focusing on the acquisition of property and human rights. …show more content…
In this way they also provide for others as cultivated land produced more produce than a smaller share of uncultivated land
Although Rousseau agrees with Locke initially about mixing labour with land and thus acquiring ownership he argues that this right can not be claimed. Those who own property are only able to keep it as long ass they have the power to do so. By a cunning plan, and false character, the land owners realize that in order to protect themselves from the non-land owners, they employ the poor as slaves and make them believe they were benefitting equally. This double slave relationship is established, the rich being enslaved by the poor in terms of their need for safety and the poor enslaved by the rich for the need of survival. Rousseau believes that equality may have prevailed had men’s talents all been the same but this not being the case.

The property owners having the most power in this new society thus wrote laws and a justice system was established in favour of the property owners. This new society is a state of despotism, the slaves having no say over the laws that are governing them. Locke’s account for the development of society comes from the fencing off of the land that one has cultivated and mixed their labour with, settling upon agreed boundaries between neighbours. Laws are established by agreement between one
Show More

Related Documents: Property Debate Between Locke & Rousseau Essay

Biography Of Socrates

SOCRATES Socrates 469 BC–399 BC, was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary Aristophanes. Many would claim that Plato's dialogues are the most comprehensive accounts of Socrates to survive from antiquity. Through his portrayal in Plato's dialogues, Socrates has…

Words 9241 - Pages 37

Essay about Separation of Church and State

Lincoln believed that religion was a potential unifying force. Overwhelmingly most American believes in God but a common consensus cannot be achieved with how faith should inform nationhood. America is now more divided than ever over the relationship between religion and government. This deep divide is not primarily over religion belief or affiliation, but rather the role belief should play in the business of politics and government. The phase "separation of church and state" is generally traced to an…

Words 1621 - Pages 7

Influence Of The Enlightenment

others followed Newton’s tracks and essentially commenced the Enlightenment. John Locke – another major political figure of the Enlightenment – believed that the government received absolute power from its people (the governed) and that everyone voluntarily relinquishes a portion of their freedom to protect their inalienable rights that are life, liberty and estate (property) under a constitutional government; therefore, Locke has come to be known as the Father of Liberalism – liberalism meaning the philosophy…

Words 2997 - Pages 12

Essay about Edit 1

the weak and if the weak don’t like it, they can rise above and show themselves to be strong, otherwise they are cowardly, only the strong deserve to be respected and paid attention to. He thinks that historically, the original morality took place between universal principles of right and wrong. Nietzsche fights to make it known that bad and evil have no firm existence and aims to prove that individuals give these entities meanings of their own, according to their needs of rationalization. In spite…

Words 3536 - Pages 15

Sociology Essay

would argue that arranged marriages brings the families closer together and ensures the continuity of their tribes, clans or groups (Wyness, 2006) Our understandings of the nature of childhood, over the course of history have become a subject of debate. In 1962, Philllipe Ariès, a French medievalist and historian of the family and childhood, argued that childhood is a social construction, he claimed that children were seen as small adults who worked alongside their parents and their value was not…

Words 4273 - Pages 18