1) Our definition of liberal ideas is believing that the role of government should be to provide people the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals. Liberalism is grounded in right wing economic ideas and focused on a decentralized government with limited influence over people’s lives.Therefore, we agree with the fact that the ‘John Locke’ is the best representative of these ideas with his definition. Locke’s beliefs are very closely linked to this and therefore I think he is the the best representative as he conveys these ideas clearly.John Locks is one of the most influential philosophers of his time, with multiple books expressing his ideas about life, laws and government, a topic of conversation which was discussed a lot around his time. He defended the claim that men are by nature free and equal.
He argued that people have rights and so the government should be limited in its ruling to ensure that these needs of the people can be met with realistic expectations. Locke accepted the fact that some rights must be transferred to the government to ensure the peace and comfort in daily life. As government exists to protect the right of the people and to promote the public good, governments who fail to meet these expectations should be replaced for the greater good of society.His ideas lie closely to our deflation of liberal laws; many of the philosophers ideas are also linked closely to these ideas.”In transgressing the law of nature, the offender declares himself to live by another rule than that of reason and common equity”. This means that offenders, or people who have done bad things, do not believe the law that people must live among reason (the power of the mind to think logically). This means that the government have to control people who are evident to act out this way, instead of controlling the whole population.
2) I also believe that he is the best representative of this due to the fact that he is able to convey his ideas in such a way that readers are left stunned that this hasn’t been the way of government form the beginning. His argument is firm, yet it is portrayed as easy, clear and affirmative. He has very understandable opinions and arguments to generate major support from an array or readers, even those who wouldn’t support him generally.
He was very well educated as he gained a very diverse education early on in his years and presented his ideas well to the public. He was soft spoken and easy to understand through his books on the Social Contract. He understood what everyone wanted to hear, and he wrote those words exactly, in a way that he is very convincing in his influential arguments. For example, he said: “All mankind..
. being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions.” This is perfectly understandable as everyone wants to be safe in their own homes and they don’t want anything stolen from them, in the sense that many had to feed their families.Unfortunately, the world is afflicted by immoral men who violate these natural laws.
By coming together in the social–political compact of a community that can create and enforce laws, men are guaranteed better protection of their property and other freedoms. His ideas were very respected compared to other philosophers like Thomas Hobbes who, in theory, said that all men were born wild creatures that had to be controlled by law and order to ensure the survival of mankind.3) Finally, Locke is the best representative of liberal ideas due to the fact that he not only was the best representative of the past, but he stands today as an extremely influential philosopher that shaped political philosophy and provided a basis for later political doctrines.
His logic is still used in today’s society. For example, Locke stated that the best idea of who had what power, would be to split the power between all the different legal groups like the church and monarch to ensure that none could abuse this power fully. He is the best representative due to the fact that he has ideas that are still being developed to create a better and better society. He is still making influences today.
