Blog Post 9: Locke, Hume, and the Government
Freedom and government are two terms that stay together in the same hand. Without government we would have no freedom... right? John Locke makes mention of the idea that man under government is "having a standing rule to live by" (3015) Locke argues that due to man's inability to feel safe with their property, they resort to joining a group that lives under the rule of government. Their hopes are that the rule of these people will be enough to keep their property safe: that when alone, they can do very little to deter threats away.
Today, this can be seen quite clearly. Unless you are from another country, it is impossible to truly grasp the concept of living without government. Life in the United States is ruled by laws, codes, and government. More often than not, this keeps criminals from breaking the law. The threat of punishment, years lost in a prison cell, or the occasional death penalty. The majority of Americans have no idea what living without a government is but the idea of their lives and things being at risk is almost incomprehensible. Policies like "The Patriot Act" show that people are quick to give up their freedoms in the hopes that they can be safe. The idea of being left without a law or some sort of enforcement is mostly lost. Locke likens living under this type of government as slavery, where the only real way out is death (3015).
Locke also pitches the idea that a judge is needed to play jury and executioner. A judge acts in the best interest of the government's elected concepts of right and wrong and is to judge the crimes accordingly. "For everyone in that state being both judge and executioner of the law of nature, men being partial to themselves, passion and revenge is very apt to carry them too far...." (3016). The natural progression of being in a government requires enforcers of the laws in which the group established. Man, "both judge and executioner of the law" is not capable of making these decisions himself. We see this everyday. Traffic laws and tickets, murder, rape, robbery, the list of crimes goes on and we rely on an expert of the law to handle these transgressions appropriately.
"The first power of doing whatsoever he thought fit for the preservation of himself and the rest of mankind, he gives up to be regulated by laws made by the society..." (3017). If there was a truer statement that reflects our government and way of life today...
David Hume's piece "Of the Liberty of the Press" has a handful of interesting places to examine. The work they published communicates "whatever we please to the public, and openly censuring every measure which is entered into by the king" (3024-3025). The United States has a unique form of speech. There are publishings regarding politics that are more satire than truth and the government (no matter how nervous they get) has yet to take this right from the people. Hume says that mixing "monarchy with liberty" (3025) leads to a more tolerant and free government that allows this type of publishing/reporting. In France, where everything is "absolute" (3025), their government allows them "liberties of both speech and action". "...that the mixture of monarchy and liberty render the yoke either more easy or more grievous", writes Hume. Our government is founded on preserving our liberties, so therefore we are allowed to behave more openly. Religion is more open: several forms and practices are seen here in the States.
In conclusion, we are given many liberties here in the United States, most are afforded to us because we have given up other objects of natural freedom in order to provide a sense of comfort. I'm not going to argue whether or not this works: but we do live in a place where there is a considerably lower chance of being tortured or killed or something worse. Not that this is not still possible: anything can happen. But our government provides a peace of mind that we would not have elsewhere.
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Locke also pitches the idea that a judge is needed to play jury and executioner. A judge acts in the best interest of the government's elected concepts of right and wrong and is to judge the crimes accordingly. "For everyone in that state being both judge and executioner of the law of nature, men being partial to themselves, passion and revenge is very apt to carry them too far...." (3016). The natural progression of being in a government requires enforcers of the laws in which the group established. Man, "both judge and executioner of the law" is not capable of making these decisions himself. We see this everyday. Traffic laws and tickets, murder, rape, robbery, the list of crimes goes on and we rely on an expert of the law to handle these transgressions appropriately.
"The first power of doing whatsoever he thought fit for the preservation of himself and the rest of mankind, he gives up to be regulated by laws made by the society..." (3017). If there was a truer statement that reflects our government and way of life today...
David Hume's piece "Of the Liberty of the Press" has a handful of interesting places to examine. The work they published communicates "whatever we please to the public, and openly censuring every measure which is entered into by the king" (3024-3025). The United States has a unique form of speech. There are publishings regarding politics that are more satire than truth and the government (no matter how nervous they get) has yet to take this right from the people. Hume says that mixing "monarchy with liberty" (3025) leads to a more tolerant and free government that allows this type of publishing/reporting. In France, where everything is "absolute" (3025), their government allows them "liberties of both speech and action". "...that the mixture of monarchy and liberty render the yoke either more easy or more grievous", writes Hume. Our government is founded on preserving our liberties, so therefore we are allowed to behave more openly. Religion is more open: several forms and practices are seen here in the States.
In conclusion, we are given many liberties here in the United States, most are afforded to us because we have given up other objects of natural freedom in order to provide a sense of comfort. I'm not going to argue whether or not this works: but we do live in a place where there is a considerably lower chance of being tortured or killed or something worse. Not that this is not still possible: anything can happen. But our government provides a peace of mind that we would not have elsewhere.
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