Independence, John Locke and Article V

ArticleVBlog ^ | June 13th 2018 | Rodney Dodsworth

[Jacquerie]

When the time arrived to put independence into writing, our Founders embraced the principles of John Locke (1632-1704).

Given the simplicity of Locke’s fundamentals and the popularity of his works as 18^th century events cascaded into our Revolution, one doesn’t need a PhD in philosophy to grasp the elements of his theory. America would do well to relearn the precepts of the man who so influenced our revolutionary era, for within his framework is the salvation of the American experiment in free government.

In his Two Treatises of Government, Locke’s starting point was not seriously questioned in America until recent decades: “When men think of themselves as organized with each other they must remember who they are. They do not make themselves, they do not own themselves, they do not dispose of themselves, they are the workmanship of God. They are his servants, sent into the world on his business, they are even his property.” To Locke, this was biblical and common sense. It is the initial proposition of a work that appeals to our Christian heritage and reason.

Second, we are naturally born in a state of nature, of perfect freedom, in which we may act and dispose of our possessions as we see fit, subject only to the Law of Nature. Here, no man need ask permission of, nor depend upon the will of, any other man. This is also a state of equality because God does not create one man with power and jurisdiction over another. The Law of Nature is, equivalently, the Law of Reason, and reason informs us that freedom and liberty are not license; we may not harm ourselves, others or their property as manifest in one’s life, health, liberty or possessions. For evidence, Locke pointed to England’s distant Celtic ancestors and

[SunTzuWu]

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[eartick]

So, governors are only entrusted with the powers granted for attaining certain ends. If those ends are neglected, government is dissolved and its powers devolve to the society that granted them.

Exactly and this statement on an ArtV blog is out of the ordinary. ArtVers think the broken a$$ government can fix itself with the aide of a few of the "chosen".

Like my tagline reads, stupidity.

[PGalt]

Frédéric Bastiat

The Law

Life is a Gift from God

But life cannot maintain itself alone. The Creator of life has entrusted us with the responsibility of preserving, developing, and perfecting it. In order that we may accomplish this, He has provided us with a collection of marvelous faculties. And He has put us in the midst of a variety of natural resources. By the application of our faculties to these natural resources we convert them into products, and use them. This process is necessary in order that life may run its appointed course.

Life, faculties, production — in other words, individuality, liberty, property — this is man. And in spite of the cunning of artful political leaders, these three gifts from God precede all human legislation, and are superior to it. Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place.