Ideal Society in the Eyes of Locke and Swift - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages It also states that, essentially, the natural state of mankind is anarchic. Anarchy exists anywhere and everywhere, whereever no legitimate government is found. In Chapter 4 ("Of Slavery") Locke justifies slavery, very much like More's Utopia, where slaves are allowed upto a maximum of two per household and they are allowed freedom based on their good behaviour. Thus the concept of an ideal society is comparatively varied in all the works analysed and ironically contain shortcomings that challenge the inherent ideological bias of their authors and the ages to which they belong.
Locke's Second Treatise gives the vision of a free community, where all individuals are equal, and most importantly, possessed of natural rights. The notion of property is linked to this concept too. He maintains that men will inevitably want to acquire goods and will come into inevitable conflict. Locke's etymological explanation of "property," lies in his dervation of its meaning that is life, liberty and estate, including one's self. Thus he proposes that a natural law of morality should come to govern them before they enter into a social arena. Here the irony is underlined since Locke realizes that the natural rights must be compromised so as to enter into a social structure. ...
But the tricky business is with abiding by these very standards of behavior. The civil society is formed for the rights of the property, and Locke asserts that there is a non-political interest within its members for the state's function is protection and keeping intact the property that belongs to one. If the purpose of government is the protection of property, the latter must exist independently of the former. Thus society must allow this property to become a private property.
The people entrust this body of standards or laws with the members of the protectors or the State. But if there is an abuse of power and this body of government ceases to act in the way the people expect, or do not represent the people's ideals, and instead just represent either their selfish needs or some other ideal, there is the possibility of a revolt or rebel. Locke suggests that not only should they rebel but overthrow that government and thereby replace it with people who will represent them better. Taken into fact that Locke was justifying his opposition to Charles II, all these concern seem fitting to his cause of an iconoclasm that he expected out of the people when the government ceases to be the mouthpiece of the people it seeks to protect. Locke's Second Treatise justifies the revolution of King William so as to explain the circumstances, under which the people of the state have ultimate right to raise concern and seek rebellion and replace one government with a better one. The idea of an unlimited property and that of a corrupt government are addressed in terms of Governmental intervention; since if the government comes to possess people's property then it ...Download file to see next pagesRead More