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Class 7. Locke.docx

Social Sciences
Course Code
SCS 1160
Jordan Stancil

Ch. 5: property
Ch. 6:
Ch. 8: consent
- Locke believes in the state of nature there is a natural right to property. You
require ownership by mixing your labour with the state of nature.
- The mixing model: find an apple, peel it, it is yours because you have
modified it and it is now your property
- Restrictions: Must leave enough for the next person who comes along, you
cannot accumulate so much so you are the ne who decides who lives and
dies, spoilage restriction I can accumulate only enough advantageously.
These restrictions are part of what Locke vies as the natural law of property
- Money: What if we created something that we all think is valuable? Then we
have people who accumulate money, which does not prevent others from
gathering their own money, and it does not spoil. By doing so we create
- You can only have what you can use yourself and not take what others can
use, then he states you can accumulate some things, like money.
- There is a legitimacy to money, gold does not spoil so one can accumulate as
much as they want and it does not have value that will cause the end to
others lives because gold is not necessary for human life, it only makes it
- Once we create a society we all agree to put value into money
- 46-47. The introduction of money
- Locke is sometimes accused of being naïve and bad faith. Does he not see
what will happen if money inequality occurs and one person has all the
money and can then control all the resources? Because this will happen
- What kind of freedom would you have if you had no money? Would there still
be freedom? Would freedom be worth it?
- We live in a Locke society so people can acquire different amounts of money
and resources
- Section 48: there cannot be accumulation without money; Locke says money
tells us something about the people that have it. Money is a legitimate way of
validating different degrees of industry, the rational behind money and the
different levels of wealth is that people have different amounts of abilities,
some people work hard, some don’t, some do and get nothing. We have
equality at a natural level but we all do different things and money allows
these differences to be recognized. It is reasonable that there is different
economic inequalities because of these different degrees of industries
- God gave us the earth to use, who will use it? Not a lazy individual, but for the
industrious and rational to build and expand. We are all equal but there are 2
types of people one is industrious and rational, trying to best make use of
the resources God gave us. The other person is jealous which leads to taking
from other people because they do not pull their weight
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