Democracy - Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau - Essay Example

?Democracy s Democracy Introduction If the philosophers of this era influenced ideas of equality and natural human rights through their freethinking, then how would you argue these ideas of equality and natural human rights come to influence the birth of multi-culturalism today? Democracy is a long fight, which is, somehow, greeted with lots of rejection. Most philosophers die trying to revolutionize the world. To what extent is this statement true and does it fit the biography of Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau? John Locke championed individual freedom and he is regarded the father for democracy of liberalism. Locke fought for democracy even before the ages of democracy inauguration arrived. His writing about the two treatises of the government was a major contribution. By adopting a technique of social contract, Locke was able to explain that the authority that the state legitimately owned was from individual people in the society. Locke argued that if the rights of individuals in the society are infringed and violet the legitimate authority of the state can be withdrawn. The law of nature describes the aspect of Locke’s argument and he states that human beings should not invade and infringe the rights of their fellows. Locke’s contribution to chapter XIX of the Treatise is clearly against degeneration of war by failure of the government to hold the power that generates from the natural stage. Locke believed that people were free by nature (Theriault, 2009). His notion and belief on freedom led to the foundation of freedom in the Government. According to the philosopher, the government exists in order to promote public good, protect life, liberty, and, in general, to protect the property of its people. Locke argues that those governing the country must be elected from the society in order for them to represent the will of the society. Locke refers to the dissolution of the government and reformation of the government by the society since he refers to the society as one body that has the power to control the government. Locke is also against the will of the government to take away private property and subject people into slavery. Locke speaks about the legislative role of protection and guarantees rebellion if the legislatiion fails to protect private property and allows subjection to slavery. Locke had lots of influence on the governorship and rule of the US. Former president Thomas Jefferson used Locke’s words concerning the rights of humans since God created us all. Jefferson in his speech insisted that humankind should pursue liberty and happiness. Locke greatly influenced Jefferson’s leadership. Jefferson laid structures and foundations of democracy on the works of a man he considered the greatest philosopher – John Locke (Cranston, 1989). In the first treatises, that Locke published, it went about quasi-religions. Locke argues on the absolute monarchy, which is the natural system of human social organization. In his second treatises, Locke describes the aims and functions of the civil government. In the second treatises, Locke disagrees with Hobbes’ opinion on the structure and function of the civil government. Locke insists that the government must play the role of a protector of private property. Voltaire enlightened the world by advocating for freedom of speech, freedom of press and religion. In addition to this, Voltaire was also against monarchy, militarism, and slavery. He did a lot of crusading against tyranny and bigotry. Despite his skepticism about Rousseau, he still played a big role in French revolution. Voltaire defended the freedom of speech. While defending the freedom of religion, Voltaire insisted that the true religion should not treat dogma, but must instill morality in the society. The 18th century is mostly referred to as the age of reasoning and it comprised many philosophers who argued that people should think of themselves. Most philosophers referred to the theme as the theme of “cause and effect”. The fight for democracy always meets great resistance especially by people in power who would like to stick to power and continue with their influence. Voltaire faced aggression from the church and the government, which made him go to exile. While away from his hometown in France, he still influenced most people by informing them that they have rights as men. He was more satirical and in his writings, he was able to share about logic and reasonable ideas that quickly led to French revolution. As an advocate for the freedom of speech, he insisted that the government should respect people’s rights to speak. Due to this, the government banned most of Voltaire’s writings. As a counter reaction to the government’s deeds most of the people still loved his articles and read them. Voltaire became more powerful and famous due to his influence. His inspiration and wisdom was evident in his satirical attack on the government and the Catholic Church. According to Voltaire, religion was a waste of time mainly due to the large numbers of people who practiced new religion while overlooking the main role of the church, which is to instill morality in the society. Voltaire believed that the church ought to have played a role in defending his ideas by advocating for the freedom of speech and respect for human life. Rousseau and Locke also contributed greatly to the liberation and freedom. Their combined concept of the general will supports this argument. According to the two philosophers, general will is a contract by a group of people who engage in the contract (Amezquita, 1992). The general will should be a product of the citizens. The citizens must give power to the rule and respect it. The two great minds, which came up with the rule of the general rule, have led to the revolution and freedom most people enjoy in the world. Almost all the governments in the world have a constitution. We equate the constitution to the general will. The constitution is the will of people. The citizens respect the constitution and it’s a tool used to protect the rights and freedom of people in the society. Coming up with a good, constitution that balances the rights and freedom of its citizen is still difficult. Despite the revolution started by the founding fathers of philosophy, the world is still facing resistance for democracy. According to Rousseau, freedom brought by the general will exists in two forms. One is the individual freedom, while the other is the social freedom. According to Locke, natural law is directly correlated with natural freedom. Natural law protects the nature of humanity. In order to observe natural law according to the two philosophers, one must pledge its ligancy through the social contract. The US uses Locke’s and Rousseau’s theory of the general will in amending the constitution. This is because their arguments are reasonable and ideal. The fact that US is using the two philosophers ideas as a basis for their constitution amendment is a positive sign of the achievement of democracy many years after the two philosophers died. Many other democratic parties also use the theory of the general will in making laws especially in the legislature. Conclusion Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau managed to enlighten leaders in the older days bringing an end to discrimination and slavery. The philosophers managed to challenge the world. Their reception and entry into democracy were greeted with lots of rejection. Some of them such as Voltaire died before seeing any democracy and revolution, but eventually their roles and fight bore some fruit leading to the freedom the current generation is enjoying. The struggle for democracy by these philosophers is in use today. The rule of the general will continues to find its way in most democratic countries including the US. References Amezquita, A. (1992, December 4). Rousseau and Locke: The General Will. Retrieved from http://philosophy.eserver.org/rousseau-and-locke.txt Cranston, M. (1989, May 5). The French Revolution: Ideas and Ideologies. Retrieved from History Today: http://www.historytoday.com/maurice-cranston/french-revolution-ideas-and-ideologies Theriault, S. (2009). John Locke and the Second Treatise on Government. Academic Journal, 9(10), 191-92. Read More