NATURAL RIGHTS

Philosophy of John Locke (and Thomas Jefferson as expressed in the Declaration of Independence)

The Big Question…

 Why do we need Government?

State of Nature

  What would it be like to have no government?

Consider the island…

If there were no Government..

Everyone would have Rights  These are Rights people have by nature, they are God-given, not man-given  Therefore, they cannot be taken away (unalienable) Can you think of some specific right that might be considered “natural?”

Locke identified the following “natural rights”:

 Life  Liberty  Property How do these relate to our discussion of rights in the Island scenario? How are these rights similar and/or different from those identified in the Declaration of Independence?

These rights would be very insecure

 The strong would prey on the weak  The weak might form gangs to prey on others Greed Chaos The Jungle

The Social Contract

SO…  People agree to form a government

to protect their natural rights

 People agree to obey the laws passed under this agreement Every LEGITIMATE form of Government is a type of SOCIAL CONTRACT. It exists by the will of the people.

The Main Point

Why do we need Government (according to Locke)?

TO PROTECT NATURAL RIGHTS !

But, What if a government is not protecting rights, but taking them away?