History of Ideas: John Locke - Essay Example

Chapter Five of the “Second Treatise of Government” entitled, “Of Property” focuses on the argument set forth from the notion of the holy text of Bible, where it is mentioned that the Earth is the property of mankind and can be used for the benefit and survival of the entire humanity. Following the queue of the statement proposed in the Bible, Locke next agues and sets forth a very vital inquisition which points out to the context that if the entire earth is entitled to be used by the human kind for their sustenance and benefits then how come a particular piece of land be acquired by an individual.

THESIS STATEMENT This essay intends to critically analyze the theories propounded by philosopher John Locke in the chapter entitled, ‘Of Property’. And, on the basis of the theory propounded by John Locke, this paper intends to frame an argumentative discourse pertaining to the fact that ponders upon the acquisition of property and its actual sanctity for the development of common good or its servitude to the wealthy section of the society only. LOCKE AND THE SECOND TREATISE OF GOVERNMENT AND LETTER CONCERNING TOLERATION: A DISCOURSE ON THE CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT The treatise propounded by the philosophers such as Locke is ephemeral.

Its insights to the developmental bent of civilization and distribution of resources amid mankind has hold and shall continue to affect the comprehension and developmental strategy of human race along with the distribution of resources bestowed upon them. Recent trouble pertaining to the real estate boom in and around the city of Florida, specially the case of constructing Donald-Dump Tower over the Miami wetlands has raised the issue that does the development of human race shall get confined to the progress shown in the concrete and digital world.

Will the value for the environment and human empathy shall retain a meaningless standpoint in the modern world? The actual answers to all these inquisitions can derived with the aid of the age-old yet eternal theories propounded by the esteemed philosopher and political scientist John Locke in his epoch making and insightful document “Of Property”. Locke initiates his argument in the chapter five of the “Second Treatise on Government” that any individual is entitled to possess a property through the infliction of his or her labor upon an alien object trying to manifest the forced labor in acquiring the foreign goods.

Locke further comments that the process of individual acquisition of property through labor does not demand any consent of mankind in general. Locke propounds further that every individual has the right to acquire property by implementing personal labor through the effort executed by his own body which Locke considers as the primary property of every individual. Locke has typically and very precisely placed his objections upon the acquisition of property by an individual to the extent the person can use all of them effectively.

He exemplifies the theory through the incident of a simple phenomenon of picking an apple from the tree. While an apple picked from a tree by any individual indulges into his or her effort in picking the apple from the tree and thus the apple can be considered as his or her property. In the similar