2nd Treatise of Government
After reading John Locke's The Second Treatise of Government chapters five and six, there are many important ideas and viewpoints that deal with property and paternal power. Due to the fact that I am at a loss for knowledge in these subjects, rather than critique each chapter, I plan to summarize what I think to be the main ideology, attitude, and thoughts to each chapter. By doing this I hope that I can achieve a better understanding of Locke's way of thinking about these significant topics. Chapter five is of course labeled "of Property" because that is the main theme and topic of discussion for that section. Locke begins his discussion with a quick suggestion of how the bible distinguishes the right to have property. He claims that God has given the earth to "Mankind in Common", and that it should be used for the "Support and Comfort of their being". (Locke, sec 25-26) The next step Locke takes is to somewhat clarify what he feels property is. Locke states that certainly you have ownership over your own
A main point that Locke points out is that liberty and freedom cannot exist without law, even though it seems that law is what suppresses them. Locke believes that you can't know what it means to be free until you have lived and obtained reason, which is what is given to you by being free in the first place. Another topic of discussion is that of liberty. However Adam sinned and therefore cannot be perfect but Adam was able to sport and preserve and govern his own actions through the reason that god had implanted into him. He states that in the beginning, at the start of creation Adam is created by a man who in itself was perfect and Adam was created perfect in body and mind and possessed strength and reason to be that perfect man. The sixth chapter that is titled "of Paternal Power," may have a deceiving title because it isn't exactly only paternal power but more about parental guidance of both the mother and father. Locke thinks that this learned perfection is a parental obligation. Also wet are reliant on supporters (parents) and hopefully live like God wanted Adam to live, but since we weren't created directly like Adam we have to learn how to be perfect. What I take to be the main theme is that there is natural and civil law and man is born free but also born with rational thinking. Locke discusses Adam as well in this chapter. In essence a child is not born with the same equality as an adult they were born to it "the equality and reason" and inevitably they will end up as equal as there parents and grow into it via experiences. So the actual idea behind all of this is that are only limitation to perfection is being born with free will and agency because with that, we have the choice to go against what is perfect. Locke starts to talk about freedom in a long procession that is somewhat confusing, but at the same time it makes a lot of sense. Therefore because Locke believes we are all descendants from this seemingly perfect being, we are at first born innocent.
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