POLS 2900 Lecture 23: Hobbes and Locke - Social Contract Lecture
13 May 2015
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Document Summary
Locke thinks people must agree with one another to create a political community. Locke thinks it is necessary that people need to know that decisions are made for the greater force/majority. Locke insists the only way to join the political community is by their express consent. Beyond accepting majority rule, people must give up two things: unrestricted liberty they have in the state of nature to enforce the laws of nature. It gives everyone the right to act and enforce natural law: right to preserve their own life. You also have the obligation to protect the rights of others. Locke makes the difference between liberty and licence. License means not obeying any law at all. There is never a freedom to harm others. For hobbes, there are no limits on the right of nature. No matter what form the government takes, it must first govern laws that are known to the people.
