John Locke: Property Rights :: Empiricists, Empiricism

One of most historically influential political thinkers of the western macrocosm was John Locke. John Locke, the man who initiatedwhat is now bonkn as British Empiricism, is also considered highly influentialin establishing grounds, theoretically at least, for the constitution of the united States of America. The basis for understanding Locke is that he seesall people as having indispensable God given rights. As Gods creations, thisdenotes a certain equality, at least in an abstract sense. This religious backdrop acts as a the foundation for all of Lockes theories, including histheories of individuality, private property, and the state. The reader will beshown how and why people sustain a natural right to property and the impact thishas on the sovereign, as well as the extent of this impact.Locke was a micro based ideologist. He believed that universe wereautonomous individuals who, although lived in a social setting, could not bearticulated as a herd or social animal. Lo cke believed person to stand for,... a thinking, intelligent being, that has former and reflection, and send word consider itself as itself, the same thinking thing in different times and places, which it only does by that consciousness which is congenital from thinking. This ability to reflect, think, and reason intelligibly is one of the many gifts from God and is that gift whichseparates us from the realm of the beast. The ability to reason and reflect,although universal, acts as an explanation for individuality. All reason andreflection is based on personal experience and reference. Personal experiencemust be completely individual as no one can experience anything quite the sameas another.This leads to determining why Locke theorized that all humans, speakingpatriarchially with respect to the time why all men, have a natural right toproperty. Every man is a creation of Gods, and as such is endowed with certainindividual abilities and characteristics as gifts from God. Not bei ng able toknow Gods exact wishes for man, Locke believed that all men have an obligationto develop and caress these gifts. In essence, each man was in charge of his ownbody and what was through with(p) with his body. Of course, for Locke, each man would dothe reasonable thing and develop his natural skills and potentials to the bestof his abilities, in the service of God.The belief in God given abilities and the obligations that check arenot totally deterministic. Man, endowed with reason, could choose not todevelop these abilities.