Liberalism

Certainly it was John Locke (1632-1704) who best expressed the principles of Liberalism in the British (and American) tradition. His Two Treatises of government (first published in 1690) constitutes a around important statement on the liberal political philosophy that has so much influenced politics in succeeding centuries. At the center of his writings are basic values that now remain as under girding for the entire liberal view. Government exists to serve the people and community it governs. Its power is limited by purposes of natural rights of individuals and moral or natural law. Among these natural rights was the concept of the right to acquire and dispose of property. Life, liberty and estate belonged to individuals quite apart from any grant from society or its cats-paw Government.

The basic duty of government is to protect the habitual well behaved and private rights which were seen to be inextricably related if not the equal thing.



Individuals agree to limits on their behavior by granting to government veritable limited powers but only if the government rules on behalf of the common good and in the protection of private rights. For reasons of convenience and joint benefit people enter into a compact whereby they willingly relinquish some of their freedom of action and in come down gain security and stability in their daily lives. As Locke wrote: Men being, as has been said, by Nature, all free, equal, and independent, no peerless can be put out of this Estate, and subjected to the Political author of another, without his own ConsentIf you want to get a full essay, mold it on our website: Orderessay



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