John Locke: Natural Rights to Life, Liberty, and Property.
One such philosopher, John Locke, wrote revolutionary political theories that led to governmental reform in the United States and in Britain.. John Locke's theory of natural rights is the basis of all of his other political ideas.. These are Locke's natural rights, and this is the core of his theory of government.
John Locke: Property Rights Perhaps one of, if not the, most historically influential political thinkers of the western world was John Locke. John Locke, the man who initiated what is now known as British Empiricism, is also considered highly influential in establishing grounds, theoretically at least, for the constitution of the United States.
John Locke's account of natural law, which forms the very basis of his political philosophy, has troubled many critics over time. The two works that shed light on Locke's theory are the early Essays on the Law of Nature and the Second Treatise of Government, published over 20 years later.
His views on individual rights, life, happiness and politics led Locke to become known as the 17th century English Philosopher of the enlightenment. John Locke was born August 29, 1632, in Somerset, England. He was the oldest son of Agnes Keene and John Locke.
John Locke, who wrote Of Political or Civil Society, shows the importance of natural rights, and how people trade their natural rights for protection from a form of government. Common Sense, written by Thomas Paine, portrays and argues for American independence. Paine sees government as protection, and exists to serve the people.
The basic elements in John Locke’s political theory are natural rights, social contract, and government by consent, and right of revolution. Locke was very concerned with the “property right” and derived property right from higher law.
The preexistent natural rights, which Locke said were, “life, liberty and property,” became with Jefferson, “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” In the second paragraph of the Declaration, Jefferson states that in order to preserve these natural rights, that governments are instituted by man and, if they are not preserved then.