John Locke's Idea of Democratic Government - Outline Example

Utopia Structure of government Outline I. Definition and prevalence of common good II. Plato’ concepts of idea government a. Democracy, oligarchy, aristocracy, tyranny and timocracy III. John Locke’s ideas on government structures a. Social contract theory Introduction Government is a fundamental aspect of the society. The government plays the supervisory role thus enhancing the cohesive and peaceful existence of the people in a society. Different theorists have fronted their definition of a perfect structure of government, one that enhances the creation of progressive societies. Key among such theorists was John Locke and Plato both of whom fronted their ideas of the structures of a perfect government. The creation of a functional government benefits the whole society. As such, the government should represent and protect the interests of the people in the society. This way, the government provides a common good to the populace. Democratic governments represent the view of the society and must always protect the common good in a society. Democracies are the ideal governments that may enhance the creation of ideal societies in which the governments protect the common good as the discussion below portrays. Key aspects of the authors’ viewpoints Common good is a concept in philosophy that refers to the communally accepted “good”. Different people define “good” differently. The relativity of the concept thus validates the various ideologies and definitions that various theorists devised. However, such philosophers and theorists contend that a common good should always represent the desires and interests of the majority in a society. In ideal cases, an entire society should have a unified definition of the “good”. This way, the society devises appropriate social and cultural values that help uphold the peace and stability desired in the society. The desire to create a perfect society is among the key reasons for the creation of governments. As explained earlier, a government is a form of authority in the society. The government has structures and authority to formulate and implement policies that influence the lives of the people in the society. As such, the people must adhere to the dictates of the government and share the values the government instills on them. The creation of governments and systems of leadership in the society remained a contentious issue for a long time in the history of humans. This validates the various viewpoints on the types and structures of government that should exist in a society. John Locke and Plato were among the major contributors to the composition and structures of government that should exist in a society. According to Plato, a perfect government has a structure that represents the attributes of the people. He therefore explains five types of regimes that fit different types of societies. The five include aristocracy, oligarchy, tyranny, democracy and timocracy. Each of the five regimes has strengths and weaknesses and therefore may constitute common good to the people of a specific society. In his discussion, Plato upholds that the relativity of the common good in his placement of the various regimes to various societies. Plato’s idea of a perfect structure of government was the aristocracy. Aristocratic states enjoy the wise counsel of a philosophical leader. The leader is wise and therefore makes all the decisions on the issues that concern the lives of the people in the society. Aristocratic states have three distinct groups of population. The first group constitutes the ruling class. The group comprises of wise people who succeed each other in governing the state. The second class is the auxiliaries. Such include soldiers whose work is to enhance the governance structure. They implement the wise policies formulated by the ruling class. The final group consists of the masses. The masses rely on both the ruling class and the auxiliary class for the creation of various societal structures. Such regimes existed in the history of humans and they operated efficiently (Cahn 144). The common acceptance of such structures of governance constituted the common good of the governments since they enjoyed their own place of influence in the societies. Plato explains that autocracies are always at the risk of degenerating into timocracies. Such are political systems in which leaders front their own interests. Plato provides an extensive explanation of human nature in influencing the common good especially through politics. He therefore explains that the ruling class in aristocratic societies is always likely to make erroneous calculations that may enhance the rise of the auxiliaries to power. In case of such changes, the auxiliaries will change the constitution thus legalizing their stay in power. However, they do so with the view to creating political structures that enable them to front their own interests. Oligarchy is yet another type and structure of government that Plato explains may exist in certain societies. Such structures distinguish the population based on either riches or poverty. The rich in such societies rule the poor. When the population in a society accepts the system of governance then it becomes a common good. An oligarchy is likely to degenerate into a democracy, which in turn degenerates into a tyranny. The relationship of the above structures of government remains related and limited to the acceptance of the people. Humans have lived through some of the worst types of governments. However, their acceptance of such regimes validates the governments thus presenting them as the common good in the societies. John Locke on the other hand fronts a unique idea on the structure of a perfect government structure. In his theory of social contract, John Locke explains that the society creates the government. This way, the government enjoys the support of the people thus enhancing the notion of a common good. The social contract theory explains that the people in a society sign social contracts with people from their midst. In the contracts, the society provides the selected individuals with the power to rule them thereby protecting their property and interests (Cahn 56). The governments govern the people for a specified period before seeking fresh mandate from the people who assess their performance while in power. The theory explains that elections are types of social contracts the populace often create with the ruling class. The aim of creating such contracts is for the government to protect the property and rights of the populace. According to the theory, the government protects the common good in the society. The government must protect the property and interests of the people. This upholds the common good since the government represents the beliefs and values of the people. Discussion John Locke provides an elaborate explanation of the structures and operations of democratic governments. His social contract theory constitutes the backbone of modern day democracies. Democratic governments permit the participation of the populace in the creation of the governments and their inherent structures. The people share their views through elections as they appoint the leaders of the society. Such structures permit any individual with desirable qualities to lead thus protect the interest of the rest of the society. Such a unique type of government enhances the creation of ideal societies in which the society shares the definition of the common good. Democratic structures of government make it easier for people to create and uphold social values. Democracies for example provide effective ways for the populace to combat such vices as corruption and nepotism among others. The population will not only express their discomfort at the prevalence of such vices but will also get a chance to replace the corrupt leaders. As such, democratic governments create a scenario in which the people determine their lives. The people elect leaders, share value and therefore define the common good. Defining a common good is easier in democratic structure since the people in such governments enjoy numerous rights and liberties. Work cited Cahn, Steven M. Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. Print. Read More