John Locke Argue That Private Property Philosophy Essay

John Locke Argue That Private Property Philosophy Essay Almost all modern notions of private property and its legislation is based on arguments advocated by John Locke . His theory has been applied to the property rights of physical and intellectual objects -even extending to international law- however, various interpretations of his opinions exist (Nozick, 1974, pp. 167-182; Tuckness, 2011; Waldron, 2002, pp. 152-184; Widerquist, 2010, pp. 3-4).  [1]  These analyses range from MacPhersons class-based capitalism to Waldrons limited ownership rights and also see James Tully argue that Locke promoted limits of civil society (Discourse on Property, 1980, pp. 131-150; Widerquist, 2010, pp. 3-5). This paper aims to give an account of John Lockes argument for property rights as described in his book The Two Treatises of Civil Government and then critically analyse it to establish its political philosophy and likely consequences. In conclusion it will argue that as various -and often incompatible and contradictory- interpretations of his theory have been suggested and incorporated in different political ideologies, it is impossible to ascribe a certain set of political consequences to the right to private property as advocated by Locke.  [2]   First assumptions First, let us follow Locke in his argument that private property is a natural human right. He begins by assuming that it is a right intended in nature and commanded by God that mankind should preserve itself (Locke, 1689, 25). He makes a further assumption that God has given the world to men in common to use and to flourish (Locke, 1689, 26). These two assumptions along with a statement that man owns his person and labour, make the basis of his arguments for the right to private property (Locke, 1689, 27). Definitions Limits/provisos No-waste Various critiques of Lockes Treatises have identified sets of limits to what he advocates: (I) there should be no waste or destruction, (II) and that one should leave plenty, enough, and as good [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] in common for others (Locke, 1689, 27; MacPherson, 1962, pp. 210-212; Widerquist, 2010, pp. 7-11). Widerquist (2010, p. 8) also mentions a third proviso of charity among the scholarly interpretations of Lockean appropriation, but Locke (1689, 40-45) does not mention it directly in chapter five of his second book. In short, the first proviso -no-waste- asserts that property is to be used and enjoyed within bounds of reason, where nothing is destroyed or spoilt (Locke, 1689, 31; Widerquist, 2010, pp. 7-8). Locke (1689, 32,38,46) also argues that any appropriator can take as much as they can use, consume, and need but not anything more. Second proviso, enough and as good Justification Giving back/taking nothing Locke (1689, 27-37) even argues that an appropriator, by the act of using and benefitting from their property and creating plenty produce, is giving back to the common property. He goes as far as justifying enclosing land by demonstrating that the enough-and-as-good proviso ensures that the appropriator does as good as take nothing at all (Locke, 1689, 33; Widerquist, 2010, p. 9). Happiness/Plenty produced/value of labour In section 37 (Locke, 1689) he claims that owning and cultivating land increases human happiness. He makes a comparison between the quality of life that Native Americans had and people in Britain; redressing this argument in defence of capitalism (Locke, 1689, 37,41,43,46). Future Locke begins his theory of property in the state of nature. Money/invalidation of provisos Civil society/government When the Civil society is established these property rights can either become subject to social agreement or be carried over in their entirety and create a class-based social interaction where some have property and others dont (Widerquist, 2010, p. 20). Moreover, his provisos maybe be changed or used to justify government intervention (Widerquist, 2010, p. 20). Critique Contextual, Christianity Like any other theory, Lockes theory of property is not without problems. The first and most important of them is the reasons behind its creation. Locke was trying to reconcile Christianity with capitalism, two very different philosophies. Reconciling Christianity and capitalism Capitalism increases poverty, artificial wants, waste, and private property Locke argues, Utilitarianism is most important and most Christian Acknowledges and supports inequality and class system Argues common good is more important that common property Religious v secular Lockes theory of property is based on 17th century requirements of reconciling the church with the new ideas of capitalism. The first critiques that comes to mind is whether a reasonable argument for the religious society of almost 400 years ago still holds for more-or-less secular society of 21st century. It certainly makes a difference that the extent of the powers of the religious authority is far reduced since. Some scholars argue that more secular ideas like socialism or justice as fairness fit better with the requirements of our age. Unfairness Whether an argument based on religion is still valid or not, it is safe to assume that humankind has always been concerned with fairness. Locke (1689, 46-51) sees this fairness in the initial acquisition, when there was more than enough in nature for all to appropriate as they could. Locke supports inheritance of rights as fair but in the inherent inequality that ensues finds many on the wrong side of his argument. There are many incompatible definitions of fairness, but in considering the merits of Lockes theory, some scholars find the nullification of limits à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Conclusion

Pauline Breedlove Life

Character Analysis Paper Pauline Breedlove (Polly), one of the main characters of the story, who is also the mother of Pecola and Sammy Breedlove and spouse of Cholly Breedlove, can be seen as a violent figure towards her family and seems to have a negative out look on life. The reason behind all this behavior can be better understood if we were to take into account of her past, the time frame this story was in, and which then would bring us to how its affecting others around her. Pauline always seemed to have been troubled. It all began with her foot that she injured as a little girl, she had gotten a nail in it which then left her with a limp. After she started limping her dream of becoming an actress seemed unrealistic because of her flaw. Things didn’t really get much better from that either. She later ended up in Lorain, Ohio with Cholly where she becomes lonely and isolated, she doesn’t fit in with the northern women and understand their mannerism. Later we find out one day while she was at the movies she lost her front tooth from biting down too hard on a piece of candy. Which in the end lead her to believe she was ugly and her husband didn’t help much since he was under the influence of alcohol most of the time. The limp, the loss of her tooth, and the way she felt about her current living situation caused her to not care about herself and its showed in the way she started caring for her house and the her soon to be family. The story is set in the 1940s where blacks weren’t looked upon as that great. At the time Pauline had quit a bit of obstacles blocking her way of becoming an actress. The limp, her missing tooth, her skin color, and looks. Her physical appearance wasn’t up to the ideal beauty which was blond hair, blue eye eyes, and light skinned. Since the story takes places back when racism was still relevant there was nothing for a person like Pauline to look up to, so what she lived with everyday and seeing herself made her to grow self hatred for herself. The self hatred she had made an impact on the people she dealt with in her life. The anger she had deep within her self for not being good enough resulted in the mistreatment of her children and neglected her duties of being a good wife and mother. The viewing of herself as ugly lead to believing her family were ugly too. With the way she viewed life also made her treat her job a certain way, Pauline believed that if she couldn’t make herself beautiful treating her profession would replace that. By working for the Fishers, a white house hold, it caused her to live in a somewhat fantasy world. As opposed to the love and care she showed towards the Fisher family her actual family never received that type of treatment, beatings, fights, and arguments were a constant thing in the Breedlove household. So in the end the reflections on a person’s past can shape them to be who they are. For Mrs. Breedlove it is easily seen that past events caused her to have negative effect on her and the others involved in her life, and with it being back when times were hard especially for African Americans it only made the situation worse, but it all shaped Pauline Breedlove into the person she is.

Average Joe

As kids, our heroes were Captain America, Superman, Spiderman, Wonder Women, or any superhero for that matter. We would look up to them everyday and say, â€Å"I want to be just like them. † As we get older, our heroes tend to be a knight with shining armor, riding into the sunset with a beautiful woman along side. Other people picture the CEO of a top company, making over ten million dollars a year. Some might even picture an ex-president, or even their teacher. In the end, you’re my hero. You’re not a firefighter, a soldier, or the president. You’re not a police officer, priest, or parent. You’re like me. A person stuck in the everyday grind, 9 to 5, trying to make it through to tomorrow. You don’t know you’re a hero, but you are. To me you give me strength and the hope to live on. For this you are greatly appreciated. You might think, â€Å"How can an average American be considered a hero of mine, if there are killers and greedy people out there that only do harm? † He simply hides in the wood works, basically helping to hold doors, donating here and there, or putting in a few extra hours at work, just like an everyday American would. My hero never fails to finish work for his under-paid, under-appreciated job. Never does my hero complain about being a single parent or working two jobs and still having unpaid bills on the counter. He embraces the fact that he’s doing everything that he can to have a roof over their heads. He’s one of the millions that build this country’s infrastructure. My hero makes an honest living doing a day’s work and asks nothing in return. He puts his life on the line knowing that’s he doesn’t have to and would gratefully do it day by day. He doesn’t donate millions of dollars to charity for a tax break or to get his name on the front page of a newspaper, but when he sees a man in need he offers the coat from his back and continue on. So what makes a hero, heroic? Well what is a hero? Words such as brave, fearless, strong-minded, tough, and being a leader come to mind. So does my everyday hero line up to your average super hero? Yes! The average American has to be brave to face an economic recession such as todays. Does he have courage? One would have to assume to face the daunting task of raising children as a single parent. Doing what ever it takes to get there kids the proper education to become a successful American. If anyone is determined it’s this individual. It takes a lot out of someone to give all they got and seem like no improvement is being made. The determined American has to push on to brighter skies. As a father my hero can’t show anything less than strength because when a father is weak there is no hope for the children to feel empowered. This also ties in to the idea of my hero being a leader. He has to be and he is. I think he qualifies as a hero, don’t you? Superman never put food on your table nor did the Hulk, so why are they the heroes and not you and I? Its human nature to assume a hero has to be larger-than-life. Usually this is true but then we tend to neglect the thousands of â€Å"mini-heroes† we have representing great heroic qualities. Its not always about being able to fly or killing bad guys, its about helping others in need. So the smallest deeds that we do can make a difference in someone’s life. Be grateful for what you do, for you’re not just my hero but someone else’s as well.

Themes in Shakespeares Macbeth - 1043 Words

MacBeth is one of the most renowned plays in history, written by famous playwright William Shakespeare. It is a story of betrayal, tyranny, murder and deadly ambition. These four themes make this tragedy a great resource for studying the darker side of humanity, and why we resort to such measures. While studying the play, I gained many insights into humanity, and will highlight three in-depth. Firstly, I saw the negative effects of uncontrolled ambition. MacBeth, the valiant warrior, hero of Scotland and the idol for young warriors, turned into a murderous, despised tyrant. Secondly, I learnt that murder changes people. There are two instances in MacBeth where murder changed the murderer. And thirdly, I learnt that there is no point to†¦show more content†¦King Edward of England is well respected and well liked, whereas Macbeth is looked upon as a throne stealing tyrant, and is not very well liked by his people When Macbeth became King of Scotland, the majority of people had heard of his conquests for Scotland, and were happy to have him as King. But it was the minority he had to worry about. The thanes of Scotland and the deceased king’s two messengers, Ross and Lennox, are all suspicious about Macbeth’s involvement in Duncan’s death. When the English army started moving out of Birnam woods, Macbeth’s army didn’t want to fight for him, because they thought of him as a cruel leader who wasn’t deserving of their protection. As a result, it left the castle unguarded and Macbeth was exposed to the leaders of the army, to whom he eventually fell to. This part of the play highlighted to me that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Metaphorically interpreting this quote into the play symbolises Scotland as the chain, with Macbeth being the strongest link, but being held back by the weakest link, his people. In conclusion, Macbeth is a great play to watch and enjoy, but it also teaches us a lot about ourselves and the people around us. To really get full valueShow MoreRelatedThe Themes Of Ambition In Shakespeares Macbeth853 Words   |  4 PagesThere are many different themes displayed in Shakespeares famous play Macbeth. Many of these themes play with nature, the supernatural, and fate. From ghosts to horses eating each other the play uses symbolism, language, and characters to portray these themes. During the play the audience learns of several themes such as ambition, guilt, fate versus free will, nature versus the unnatural, and how things are not always as they seem. 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