John Locke And William Godwin - 1770 Words

John Locke (1632-1704) and William Godwin (1756-1836) were both English philosophers. Locke and Godwin discuss their views on the origin, purpose as well as extent of authority of a government in their publications. Locke felt that government originated from a social contract and advocated governments which respected their citizens while Godwin saw any form of government as a form of evil thus he advocated self-government and believed that having no government was the ideal state but in the event of being under a government, minimal authority should be exercised. This essay discusses the difference in their views and I will pay attention to the extent of government authority. Locke regarded humans naturally in â€Å"a state of perfect freedom to order their actions† (Locke Two treatises ex.4). Along with this comes unbounded indulgence of the benefits of law of nature whereby men â€Å"has by nature a power, not only to preserve his property, that is, his life, liberty and estate, against the injuries and attempts of other men; but to judge of, and punish the breaches of that law in others† (Locke Two treatises ex.87). In addition, â€Å"it was not good for him to be alone, put him under strong obligations of necessity, convenience, and inclination to drive him into society† (Locke Two treatises ex.77). Locke views that the formation of government â€Å"derive[d] from God’s will† (Dunn 2003, p. 37) and originated from men’s need to protect their property as a collective, where a commonShow MoreRelatedThe Views Of Locke And Godwin On The Origin Of Government1680 Words   |  7 Pagesup some influential political thinkers. John Locke is the forefather of liberty while William Godwin was one of the proponent of anarchism, and both of them are great English philosopher after the enlightenment who take significant influence on successors. This essay will focus on the views of Locke and Godwin on the origin and purpose of government, the extent of authority, as well as some opinions according to their flaws. The views of Locke and Godwin on the origin of government are differentRead More Mary Shelleys Frankenstein - The Individual and Society Essay1923 Words   |  8 Pagespuzzled readers of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein. In this essay I will focus on how Frankenstein can be used to explore two philosophical topics, social contract theory, and gender roles, in light of ideas from Shelleys two philosophical parents, William Godwin, and Mary Wollstonecraft.    What Does it Mean to be Human? Individual and Society    One historically important tradition in social and political philosophy is called Social Contract Theory. It gives a way of thinking aboutRead More Virginia Woolfs A Room of Ones Own Essay1793 Words   |  8 Pageswriters. The political and moral writings of her father, William Godwin, are extremely influential during the time. Her feminist mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, writes the controversial book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. About her parents Shelley remarks, ?It is not singular that, as the daughter of two persons of distinguished literary celebrity, I should very early in life have thought of writing? (Shelley x). Because Godwin believes that she had talent, his expectations of ShelleyRead MoreWilliam Blake was born in London on November 28, 1757 to James and Catherine Blake. His father,1600 Words   |  7 PagesWilliam Blake was born in London on November 28, 1757 to James and Catherine Blake. His father, James was a hosier (seller of legwear) in London. Blake had four brothers, James, John, Richard and Robert; and a sister named Catherine (Harris 5). Blake got along best with his younger brother, Robert as they shared an interest in art (Clarke 1). As a young boy, Blake claimed to have had visions of God, spirits, prophets and angels. When he was four he is claimed to have seen God’s head in his windowRead MoreRise of the English Novel5132 Words   |  21 Pagesof the person. Keeping with the idea of representing real life, novelists broke from this tradition and gave their characters more common names (Watt 19). Early novelists had a strong affiliation with the philosophers of th eir time. Writers like Locke and Hume wanted to create a more realistic world and claimed that our personal identity is based on memory. Novelists began to explore this concept in their works and used everyday language to convey their ideas (23). The novelist Clara Reeve makes