Hobbes and Lock Views on Property
Property, whether personal or private, is thought of and looked at differently with different point of views. John Locke (1632 – 1704) and Karl Marx (1818 – 1883) had very strong and also very diverse views of property and its importance in the human society.
John Locke saw private property as the basis of freedom and liberty. Locke believed that people were born free, equal and were born with three rights that were natural and God-given; these rights were life, liberty, and property.
Locke, who believed in liberal democracy, considered property not just possessions that we physically use and own, but rather that property is what gwe mix with our labour, the labour of our body and the work of our handsh. (The Human Project; pg151). Property is something that you have put your labour into, the work, investment, energy or effort that you put into something makes it an extension of you, which you own. It is not only your land or personal possessions which are considered property, but this can be in regards with anything from a product, an idea, a service, a relationship, sex or religion. He decided liberal democracy was the best way to protect our property because with too much of a strong government, they could threaten our natural rights.
Property was extremely important to Locke because he believed that it defines the boundaries of individual freedom. When you have earned and own your property, you are free to do whatever you wish in the limitations of your property without repercussions by the state or government. Locke believed that property was a primarily good and positive thing and therefore he believed that it was something that should be protected by the government because it is one of the three natural rights that we are given.
Another idea of property was from Karl Marx whose opinion on property was quite the opposite of Lockefs; it was based on communism, although Marx himself was not a communist. Marxfs attitude of property was that
John Locke saw private property as the basis of freedom and liberty. Locke believed that people were born free, equal and were born with three rights that were natural and God-given; these rights were life, liberty, and property.
Locke, who believed in liberal democracy, considered property not just possessions that we physically use and own, but rather that property is what gwe mix with our labour, the labour of our body and the work of our handsh. (The Human Project; pg151). Property is something that you have put your labour into, the work, investment, energy or effort that you put into something makes it an extension of you, which you own. It is not only your land or personal possessions which are considered property, but this can be in regards with anything from a product, an idea, a service, a relationship, sex or religion. He decided liberal democracy was the best way to protect our property because with too much of a strong government, they could threaten our natural rights.
Property was extremely important to Locke because he believed that it defines the boundaries of individual freedom. When you have earned and own your property, you are free to do whatever you wish in the limitations of your property without repercussions by the state or government. Locke believed that property was a primarily good and positive thing and therefore he believed that it was something that should be protected by the government because it is one of the three natural rights that we are given.
Another idea of property was from Karl Marx whose opinion on property was quite the opposite of Lockefs; it was based on communism, although Marx himself was not a communist. Marxfs attitude of property was that