Locke video quiz

According to Locke, then, who are the people who have 'equal rights', give consent to govern and form 'civil govenment'?

• He implies and frequently uses the term 'all' but only meant male, property holders, which was common a the time

• He, like the American Revolutionaries later on, meant 'all' except females and slaves

• He included all but limited this to 'free people' who were mentally fit to exercise their reason

• He meant all rational beings, and implies thta this could include, literally, all persons

Based on this point, what is Locke suggesting about human nature (a core concept for our course!)?

• They are rational and logical and, if given time, can use this to guide their interactions

• They all have the capacity to be rational and good but do not act that way at all times, being also emotional irrational

• People are a mix ogood and bad, some more so than others

• Following Christian teaching, all people are 'fallen' and tainted with 'original sin'

According to the section on Locke and slavery, we should

• see that Locke was against slavery and paved the way for rational arguments against it

• take his theory of rights as a perfect starting point and just build on them with other thoughts

• note his hypocracy and reject his ideas as illogical

• note the challenges and contradictions in his thought and question how liberalism approaches issues like class, race and gender

Locke's view of property was

• focused on traditional ruling elites who owned property that had been acquired by their industry and superior talents

• based on a 'labour theory of value', there should enough for all as 'unused property is an offense to nature', and money/currency can allow the accumulation of wealth by the industrious

• that all things should be held in common and that private property was 'illegitimate and contracy to the law of Nature'

• based on a finite amount of resources over which humans would compete to control

The sole end of political society(government) is

• To remove all persons from the chaos of the state of nature

• To protect our natural liberty and acquired property

• To ensure that the democratically endorsed sovereign can be an impartial judge over all things

• To protect our natural rights of life, liberty and property and to punish those who violate the rights of others

When can a government be legitimately dissolved by its own people?

• when the government exercises arbitrary power or when it lacks the power to enforce legitimate laws

• when the government makes an unpopular decision

• when the government faces a 'significant and reasoned' protest

• when a government fails to support all property owners