Sunday, December 29, 2019

Stuart Mill and John Locke Conception of Freedom Essay

Introduction John Locke (1632-1704) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) are two important thinkers of liberty in modern political thought. They have revolutionized the idea of human freedom at their time and have influenced many political thinkers afterwards. Although their important book on human freedom, John Locke’s The Second Treatise of Government (1689) and John Mill’s On Liberty (1859), are separated 170 years, some scholars thinks that they are belonging to the same conceptual tradition, English Liberalism. In this essay, I will elaborate John Locke and John Stuart Mill view on human freedom and try to find the difference between their concept of human freedom despite their similar liberal tradition background. Historical Context†¦show more content†¦Locke critisized this unequal distribution of possesions and ownership. He briefly summarizes this view by saying that: â€Å"...how any one should ever come to have a property in anything: I will not content myself to answer, that if it be difficult to make out property, upon a supposition that God gave the world to Adam, and his posterity in common, it is impossible that any man, but one universal monarch, should have any property upon a supposition, that God gave the world to Adam, and his heirs in succession, exclusive of all the rest of his posterity.† If people other than the feudal lords were capable of owning the land they worked, the Aristocracy would lose it means of control. Locke stated that â€Å"whatsoever then he removes out of the state that nature hath provided, and left it in, he hath mixed his labour with, and joined to it something that is his own, and thereby make it his property.† The peasant deserve the land of his labor. Working a field is what made the field owned, not some privilege from Scripture. Mill lived from 1806 to 1873, the period of drastic social change and industrial revolution in England. Britain’s society mostly live in a town because of the industrialization. People are moving from the rural area to the big city. Social condition in Mill’s era was different from Locke’s era, because at Mill’s time the Aristocracy began to fall. At that time, England experienced big change because the traditional Aristocracy that ownShow MoreRelatedJohn Locke And John Stuart Mill s On Liberty Essay1748 Words   |  7 PagesPolitical philosophers over time have developed their own conceptions of liberty and the relationship of individuals to not only society, but also the state. Political philosophers such as, Aristotle and Plato have more of an ancient conception of liberty and the role the individual plays in society and to the state. Whereas, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and John Stuart Mill have developed a more modernized conception of liberty and the role of the individual to the state and society. Plato’s workRead MoreJohn Locke And John Stuart Mill s On Liberty Essay1200 Words   |  5 PagesPolitical Philosophers over time have developed their own conceptions of liberty and the relationship of individuals to not only society, but also the state. Political Philosophers such as, Aristotle and Plato have more of an ancient conception of liberty and the role the individual plays in society and to the state. Whereas, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and John Stuart Mill have developed a more modernized conception of liberty and the role of the individual to the state and society. Plato’s workRead MoreLocke vs Mill1618 Words   |  7 PagesLiberty and Freedom for as long as we can remember. Liberty and freedom has been a topic which has been debated for many decades. What does it mean to be free , and how far can we go to strive for freedom. These important questions have been answered and studied by two of the greatest English philosophers, John Locke and John Stuart Mill. Locke and Mill men will attempt to uncover the mysteries of Liberty and Freedom and unveil the importance of being free. This essay will look at John Locke’s principleRead MoreMoral Theories Of Human Rights1433 Words   |  6 Pagesthem being born human. Freedom, liberty, equality and independence are all important human rights represented in the philosophy of human rights. Key words Understand, Philosophy, Human rights, Reality, Moral theories Introduction The philosophy of human rights was coined by the philosophies of Emmanuel Kant, John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, John Stuart Mill. These authors advocated for human rights in their philosophies. They brought in the aspect of political freedom, inequality and libertyRead MoreTo What Extent Does Modern Liberalism Depart from Classical Liberalism1624 Words   |  7 Pagesliberalisms by analysing approaches to the size of the state, democracy and the concept of freedom and aims to justify the argument that modern liberalism departs considerably from classical liberalism. Modern liberalism departs from the ideas of classical liberalism with regards to the concept of freedom, although the extent of difference is limited. Isiah Berlin first discussed the concept of freedom in an essay published in 1958. Berlin proposed two concepts of liberty; positive, which is supportedRead More2.1 The Birth Of Free Speech . It Is Difficult To Pinpoint1267 Words   |  6 Pagestime of ancient Greeks, freedom of speech has always been an indispensable condition of what it means to be a free person. The first known martyr to the principle of free speech was Socrates. In 399BC before his jury to city state of Athens he was tried for corruption the morals of Greek youth and he said that he would rather be convicted than suffer restrictions on his free speech. Free speech became more developed during the Enlightenment period by scholars such as John Locke, Baruch Spinoza, PierreRead MoreLiberal Ideas Of Equality And The Right Of Law1591 Words   |  7 Pagespersonal l iberty, equality and rule of law and property and the free market principle, drawing heavily from work by John Locke. Next, Locke’s work will be discussed to show how the development of liberal ideals from Thomas Hobbes. Lastly, substantive equality will be contrasted to explain how upper class interests are expressed and favoured in classical liberal thought. John Locke (cited in Ten 1986, p. 95) explained in Essays on the Law of Nature that while both humans and animals are creationsRead MoreWhat Have Theorists Meant by Liberty? Essay example1589 Words   |  7 Pagesdifferent definitions, from people like Machiavelli to more modern theorists like Mill. It is the fundamental value that allows people to make decisions for themselves in civilised society. Without liberty, people would live in a situation where every last detail of their lives is dictated to them by government or society. We would be devoid of having the right to make choices and decisions for ourselves. Freedom is a fundamental value in all societies, so great that the framers of the `DeclarationRead MoreConcept of Freedom in Political Theory1679 Words   |  7 PagesWhy is the concept of freedom so contested in political theory? (Word maximum: 1,500) Freedom is an important concept in Western politics, strongly entwined as it is with ideas of liberalism. Yet, as suggested by the question, the concept is one which is hotly debated. Indeed, political agents attempt to control the political agenda through promotion of their particular definition. This essay will look at the ways freedom has been defined by different theorists over the years. It will alsoRead MoreEssay on Government, Justice, and Human Rights3129 Words   |  13 Pagesexplores the relationship between justice and government, examining views on the subject expressed by traditional political philosophers such as Rousseau and Locke, as well as those expressed by contemporary political theorists such as John Rawls and Robert Nozick. According to Rawls, justice is one of the fundamental concerns of a governing body; Locke and Rousseau agree that government and justice are essentially connected. Nozick and Max Weber, however, claim that the essential characteristic of go vernment

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.