John Locke Second Treatise on Government vs. Voltaire Candide - Term Paper Example

John Locke Second Treatise on Government vs. Voltaire Candide In the year 1688, a group of parliamentarians overthrew King James II. Political philosopher and naturalist John Locke witnessed all the events and was compelled by them which led him to writing what is known as Second Treatise on government1. Locke attempted to explain the reasons King James II was overthrown justifiably and why he was ascended by William III. He as well wanted to define the legal role of the civil government. He defined the role of the civil government as the political power and a right of law making which includes penalties of death and fewer penalties for regulating property as well as preserving them and employing forces of executing these laws, in defense of common wealth against foreign injury. This is all for the good of the public2. On the other hand, Voltaire Candide is about Candide who grows in the province of Westphalia in Germany. He is made to believe that he lives in a world that is of the best quality3. This belief starts to change when he started experiencing horrors of poverty, war, the hypocrisy that the church had and maliciousness of man. According to Locke, the government was in existence, among many other things, in order to promote the good of the public as well as to protect the property, liberty and life of its people. This is what is considered to being the main point of having a government and these are the purposes for its existence (Locke 12). For the above reasons, the people who run or govern are supposed to be voted in by the entire society. It is the right of the society to hold powers of instating another government when it is necessary. Locke believes that people are free by nature. This is the belief that founded his philosophy about the government. This is also supported by Voltaire Candide. He says that the government is supposed to be in existence in order to support the society and provide them with all they need. But according to Candide, this does not happen since the people having authority were corrupt and usually abused their powers. The society’s rights and freedom were not granted and they faced a lot of hardships. There are certain literary artifacts that were used in making the different points they had. Locke argues that in case the society is dissolved, it is also likely that the government will as well dissolve. He said that it is very impossible to have the frame of any house subsist and the materials that make it are jumbled into heaps that are confused by an earthquake4. The agreement of individuals to work as a single body is what makes up a society. If the agreement brakes and the different individuals make the decision to separate, then the community will end up breaking. When the government does not have its society, the government will as well dissolve. But in case a government dissolves and the society remains as one, the people shall still have the power to reform the government as they would like. On the other hand, Voltaire Candide uses wealth in explaining his points of view. Wealth leads to greed and causes war. The need to possess wealth encouraged robbery and abuse of power. In his work, wealth is depicted as transient. Even though it may be beneficial, it is not ultimately fulfilling5. There are different practices of their time that these writers mock or criticize. Locke criticizes the act of slavery. He says that men has a natural liberty of being free and not have any power that is superior on earth. Man is not supposed to be under any legislative authority or will of man but is supposed to have the law of nature to rule him. He also says that no man should control the right to own property. This is because God gave life to all men in common and gave them reason to use it to their advantage and convenience. Every person has the right of owning property wherever they would like to. Just like Locke, Voltaire Candide criticizes slavery in a great way. The abuse of power leads to slavery since the leaders use their power to mistreat the society. Voltaire Candide criticizes this and considers it as being immoral. All people should be equal and the people in government should not abuse power for their benefit6. Both Locke and Candide conform to what is characterized as enlightenment in most of his writing. He begins by explaining how the government is the society. He tries to enlighten the society on how to play a part in the formation of the government. He also says that the government cannot be united unless the society is united as well7. They also have the power to elect the government they want to be in power. This tries to explain how big a role the society plays in making any government stable. He also enlightens the society on their rights. He explains that every person has the right of owning property. He also enlightens the society on slavery. This is an act that should not be in existence. Voltaire Candide as well tries to explain the suffering caused by those in power. The society suffers a lot due to the acts of the government. He explains this in his work. The novel gives a number of examples about loss, pain, suffering and misfortune which were meant to highlight the error in the viewpoint of optimism. Locke’s work had a great influence in enlightening the society. More people become aware of their responsibilities especially in making the government. People came out to ensure that the government they voted in is performing its rights and duties as required. His work as well influenced the society to fight for their rights8. For instance, if the legislative attempts to take away any property of the people or even try to make them become slaves, it forfeits the power it has to its people and in such a situation the society had to rebel against it. Some as Locke, Voltaire Candide made an influence of people being treated with respect and encouraged the society to speak for themselves9. They made people be aware of their rights and ensure that the people in authority do not abuse the power given to them. Before the Candide and Locke did their work, the government had a lot of power. People were not able to control the activities that the government performed. The governments could perform any task without being questioned by anybody10. The citizens of different countries could not do anything but watch their resources being used in a way that did not benefit them. The people in high positions in the government used these resources to benefit themselves and people related to them. The work of these writers motivated different people to fight for their rights. They were able to take control of the government and ensure that the country’s resources are used for the benefit of all citizens. This is because it is the people who elect the officials in the government. The voice of the citizen became effective to some extent. The citizens were able to advise the people in power on what they expected from them11. Both the writings of Locke and Candide reflect a time period when the society had no rights. The government had a lot of power to rule over the people. People had to follow rules as they are set. They did not have the right to play a part in making the rules or influence decision making. They had to follow the rules as set no matter how harsh they were. This was a period of slavery and the voice of the society could not be heard. Locke’s work tries to describe this period and tries to influence a change for better governance which is the same in the writings of Candide. They influence the society to be part of the government since they make it and should not encourage slavery or the misuse of power. Work cited Locke, John, and Thomas P. Peardon. The Second Treatise of Government. New York: Liberal Arts Press, 1952. Print. Voltaire, , T Smollett, and James Thornton. Candide and Other Tales. London: Dent, 1971. Print. Read More