John Lockes Views on Rebellion and Civil Disobedience

John Locke’s views on rebellion and civil disobedience puts emphasis on the â€Å"state of nature† of man. He determines that man is naturally in this state of nature, meaning man has the power to resolve his issues himself. The only way for a man to execute his personal justice is for his personal property to be damaged by another man. Retaliating only to the extent of the crime committed. When brought together, these men formed a community and the only way for them to function was to implement restrictions on this state of nature in exchange for the protection by the Executive and peace provided by the Legislative. If any of these rules were to be broken it would be punished by the executive and not the person the crime was committed against. Locke stated that if the legislature was to overturned due to a portion of the community rebeling, then a new legislature implicated. This exposes the people to the danger of a naturally state of mind but in a large body. The rest of the people have no other choice but to protect their property themselves, creating a civil war. Martin Luther King jr. justified rebellion and civil disobedience in one statement. The statements King makes can be thought of as being contradictory. He rationalized this by answering this question,â€Å"â€Å"How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others? The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has notShow MoreRelatedHobbes, Locke, And Rousseau s Theory Of Government3619 Words   |  15 PagesLiberty University â€Æ' Outline I. John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau are the three philosophers that have the most developed view of human nature as it applies to government. a. Each of these philosophers has a literary work or works that look at human nature and its application to government. b. We will be examining Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, Rousseau in On the Social Contract and Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, and Hobbes’s view in Leviathan. c. The specific topicsRead MorePatriotism and People Who Commit Acts of Civil Disobedience Essay2107 Words   |  9 Pagesthe most patriotic of all people. The attribution of patriotism to people who commit acts of civil disobedience is lawful and just, because civil disobedience, or dissent are a vital part of a liberal democracy, and a free nation of rights. Definition of Civil Disobedience Taking the two components of the term separately, ‘civil’ refers to matters involving the populace or citizens while ‘disobedience’ refers to breaches of the law (Brownlee). This brief analysis hardly does the term justiceRead MoreQuestions for Ap Us History3870 Words   |  16 Pageswhat they are today. It includes the cruelty and hardships the people had to go through. 2. What is Zinns thesis for pages 1-11? He will be as blunt as he can to show what history has hidden from people. To tell history from the victims point of view, thus the title, a peoples history. 3. According to Zinn, how is Columbus portrayed in traditional history books? He is portrayed as a hero for discovering the United States. They barely mention in detail what happened to the Indians and what they