In Refutation To Locke’S State Of Nature Argument, We Can

In refutation to Locke’s state of nature argument, we can look towards Hobbes, Rousseau, and Mill to provide us with insightful objections. It can be claimed that first society should not have the right to self-determination but instead the right to self preserve, that property rights are social institutions and not inherent natural rights, and finally that not everyone in society is guaranteed property rights. Firstly, Locke believed in a system of justice that was based on freedom, self-governing, and the ideology that all people are naturally good. Hobbes would explain that Locke’s arguments are inherently flawed in that he doesn’t recognize that we are constantly in a state of war. This natural state of humanity or state of war is†¦show more content†¦Democracy can and never will be the answer for our society, because we would never be able to restrain the violence of human nature, ultimately leading to death and war. The only way we can peacefully preserve ourselves is to erect a common power and give our rights over to someone who can take action on behalf of the whole. This individual would be the sovereign and would govern as the unification of our rights and desires. The sovereign would have no obligations to the subject, but must uphold the subject’s rights. Hobbes states in the Leviathan selection 3, â€Å"The obligation of subjects to the sovereign , is understood to last as long, and no longer, than the power lasteth, by which he is able to protect them† (Hobbes, 147). If the rights of the people are violated, the sovereign’s power would become invalid. If we were to give up our right to self-governance, along with everyone else, and sign the social contract, we would be able to achieve a better and more prosperous freedom than Locke under his state of nature. Next, under Locke’s state of nature, he also places a heavy emphasis on extensive rights, including property rights. He believed that self-determination implied private property rights and that human life without property is not free. In refutation to thisShow MoreRelated John Locke’s Views on Property and Liberty, as Outlined in His Second Treatise of Government4596 Words   |  19 PagesJohn Locke’s Views on Property and Liberty, as Outlined in His Second Treatise of Government John Locke’s views on property and liberty, as outlined in his Second Treatise of Government (1690), have had varying interpretations and treatments by subsequent generations of authors. At one extreme, Locke has been claimed as one of the early originators of Western liberalism, who had sought to lay the foundations for civil government, based on universal consent and the natural rights of individuals