PAPM 1000 Final: Question 3

• School: Carleton University
• Department: Public Affairs and Policy Management
• Course: PAPM 1000
• Professor: Marc Andre Gagnon

Document Summary

In the second treatise of government, john locke, notes that parental power and political power are completely different. I (cid:449)ill argue that, a perso(cid:374)"s fa(cid:272)tual a(cid:272)(cid:272)epta(cid:374)(cid:272)e of state authority has to be concluded from his or her observable behavior. As long as persons are free to leave, re(cid:373)ai(cid:374)i(cid:374)g i(cid:374) a politi(cid:272)al so(cid:272)iety (cid:272)a(cid:374), i(cid:374) lo(cid:272)ke"s (cid:448)ie(cid:449), (cid:271)e i(cid:374)terpreted as (cid:448)olu(cid:374)tary a(cid:272)(cid:272)epta(cid:374)(cid:272)e of its legislation. In this respect, locke sharply distinguishes political authority from parental authority which may be exercised over children and immature adults, such as the mentally ill. The law of reason governs all men, but children when born are not equipped to understand this law. As children do not understand reason, their parents are obligated to raise them, and act in their best interest till the age of maturity. Locke argues that, with age comes rationality and freedom. He claims that, the way the parents nourish their child shows that this power is not an arbitrary one.