according to locke, three types of natural rights exist.
according to locke, three types of natural rights exist.
according to locke how many types of natural rights?
three
lee ward (2008) argues that the philosophical origins of whiggism came in james tyrrell's "patriarcha non monarcha" (1681), john locke's "two treatises of government" (1689) and algernon sidney's "discourses concerning government" (1698). all three were united in opposing sir robert filmer's defence of divine right and absolute monarchy. tyrrell propounded a moderate whiggism which interpreted england's balanced and mixed constitution "as the product of a contextualized social compact blending elements of custom, history, and prescription with inherent natural law obligations". however, sidney emphasised the main themes of republicanism and based whig ideology in the sovereignty of the people by proposing a constitutional reordering that would both elevate the authority of parliament and democratise its forms. sidney also emphasised classical republican notions of virtue. ward says that locke's liberal whiggism rested on a radically individualist theory of natural rights and limited government. tyrrell's moderate position came to dominate whiggism and british constitutionalism as a whole from 1688 to the 1770s. the more radical ideas of sidney and locke, argues ward, became marginalised in britain, but emerged as a dominant strand in american republicanism. the issues raised by the americans, starting with the stamp act crisis of 1765, ripped whiggism apart in a battle of parliamentary sovereignty (tyrrell) versus popular sovereignty (sidney and locke).
whiggism
both rousseau and locke's social contract theories rest on the presupposition of natural rights, which are not a result of law or custom, but are things that all men have in pre-political societies and are therefore universal and inalienable. the most famous natural right formulation comes from john locke in his "second treatise", when he introduces the state of nature. for locke, the law of nature is grounded on mutual security or the idea that one cannot infringe on another's natural rights, as every man is equal and has the same inalienable rights. these natural rights include perfect equality and freedom, as well as the right to preserve life and property. locke also argued against slavery on the basis that enslaving yourself goes against the law of nature because you cannot surrender your own rights, your freedom is absolute and no one can take it from you. additionally, locke argues that one person cannot enslave another because it is morally reprehensible, although he introduces a caveat by saying that enslavement of a lawful captive in time of war would not go against one's natural rights.
age of enlightenment