John Lockes Social Contract Theory - Essay Example

? Jon Locke’s Social Contract Theory and its Compatibility with the Republican Ideologies of Niccolo Machiavelli Admission Number Course Name & Number Instructor Date of Submission Introduction Republicanism is a political ideology embraced by the members of a republic. It entails the control of a republic or a state where the selection of the republic leader is by any other means apart from through heredity. Republicanism is popular among numerous individuals in the political discourses as the absence of a monarchy. In a republic, the people elect the leaders in charge of the government. These leaders assume their respective positions in government for a specified period of time after which they return to their normal work never to serve the people again. During their tenure in the government, leaders in a republic should serve the interests of the people who elected them at the expense of their personal interests. In any state, republicanism emphasizes on several significant concepts that include dedication to serving the people, advantages of universal political participation, the negative effects of corruption, strict adherence to the rule of law, and the necessity to separate powers. From these concepts, the most significant value that stands apart in republicanism is political liberty. In this case, political liberty transcends the lack of government interference in private affairs to incorporate self-reliance and self-discipline as key determinants of societal wellbeing. Political liberty keeps off the government and its leadership from the private lives of its citizens. The government’s interference with the private lives of its citizens only happens when individual activities threaten the wellbeing of the entire republic. As such, the role of the government in a republic is to protect the entire republic (Duff, 2011). Niccolo Machiavelli and Jon Locke are medieval political theorists whose ideas contributed significantly in shaping the modern day political views. Particularly, both theorists were prominent in the process of developing liberalism and democratic philosophies. Democracy, authority, and power are the main concepts in their political ideologies. To this end, this essay focuses on the political ideologies of both Niccolo Machiavelli and Jon Locke. Particularly, the essay explores the extent to which Jon Locke’s social contract theory is compatible with the republican ideologies of Niccolo Machiavelli. Understanding Social Contract Social contract is a convention between humans that aims to discard the state of nature. Under this state of nature, individuals coexist peacefully without the interference by the government and its written rules and regulations. Principles of justice based on individual ability to reason efficiently guide the people’s way of life. These principles include the right to liberty and the right to live. They apply to all individuals regardless of race or ethnicity. Through reasoning, most individuals seek to follow these principles; nonetheless, the lack of written regulations results to challenges especially in the manner at which individuals solve the arising interpersonal conflicts (Maloy, 2009). In times of such conflicts, the state of nature becomes a social contract as individuals seek assistance from the state. To solve these conflicts, the state sets up rules and enforces them prompting the people to pay the state for its role in conflict resolution. In this process, the government sets up legislatures, law enforcement units, and non-partisan judicial systems to protect the right of every individual. This theory explains the processes of forming states and governments. Particularly, this theory focuses on the voluntary provision of information to the government by the people. This is because the government serves the people and it requires accurate information from the people in the process of serving them. Jon Locke’s Social Contract Theory and its Compatibility with the Republican Ideologies of Niccolo Machiavelli In this theory of social contract, Jon Locke believes that the actual power belongs to the people and the role of the government is to facilitate a harmonious co-existence among the people. He notes that the government is a people’s creation that should serve the interests of the people as opposed to the selfish interests of the governors. When this government fails in the process of discharging its duties to the people, Jon Locke argues that the people have legitimate powers to overthrow this government (Maloy, 2009). He claims that the government is sovereign; but this sovereignty does not transfer all the rights to the government. The government’s sovereignty comes from the people’s will to elect the government. In this view, this will remains with the people making them more sovereign and custodians of the principal rights. This argument is in line with Machiavelli’s republican ideologies. Machiavelli’s ideologies in his discourses focus on the formation of states and governments. He argues that there are both good and bad forms of government. He shares Locke’s principles when he claims that the first form of government is by the will of the people. He calls this kind of government a democratic government and he believes that this government should serve and promote the wellbeing of the people. In line with the theory of contract, Machiavelli asserts that in a democratic government all people have equal rights to life and to liberty. Although the government plays the role of an overseer, Machiavelli points out that political power belongs to the people who in turn transfer some of this power to the government willingly via the ballot box when electing leaders (Duff, 2011). Just as Locke, Machiavelli believes that in a democratic government, individuals have the power to overthrow the government if it does not serve the interests of the people. In his discourses, he however opines that overthrowing the government can lead to anarchy especially if the government resists to hand over power to the people. In such a situation, there is usually no stability in the nation, as people tend to use their powers to cause chaos and interrupt social order in an attempt to force the government to give up power. According to Machiavelli, such are among the challenges faced by democratic governments. Locke uses the phrase “there and there only” to underline the significance of the will of the people in the process of forming a political society. In this case, a democratic election process takes place and every community member surrenders his or her natural power at will to the hands of the government. In exchange, the government assumes the role of the overseer discharging different functions to the people including maintaining law and order through punishing offences and protecting the people’s property. In this case, the power bestowed to the government cannot be more than what the people gave to the government. This implies that the government should ensure that it carries out its mandate in line with the expectations of the people. Jon Locke uses the term community to refer to a democratic government of the people by the people and for the people. In this vein, community rights prevail over individual rights. These rights are given up to the community because sovereign is the people and sovereignty can only come from the people. Machiavelli’s teachings in “The Prince” have been subject to numerous debates in political circles with many political analysts terming them as dictatorial. Nonetheless, Machiavelli remains one of the greatest theorists of civic humanism. His civic humanism ideologies in his discourses are in line with the democratic arguments of Jon Locke in the theory of social contract. Such ideologies have made political scholars to liken Machiavelli to popular radical democrats including Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. In his “Discourses on Livy” Machiavelli’s democratic nature comes out when he lays out the military as well as the political order as manifest in a free and a self-governing republic. He uses the ancient Republican Rome to support his views that a free state upholds the rule of its own citizens through democratic institutions. He further points out that the democratic forces of such states protect the sovereignty of the people from the selfish interests of kings and monarchs. He shares the views of Locke when he points out that the collective commitment of the people to civic values and the good of all have seen republics such Rome become successful (Duff, 2011). According to Maloy (2009), liberty is one of the main concepts supported by Jon Locke in the theory of social contract. In this view, Locke asserts that all humans are born with equal natural rights and freedom to choose between what is right and what is wrong. The government’s role is to protect the natural rights of the people and maintain order in a manner that the choices of individuals do not lead to conflicts in the society. In this case, Locke is of the opinion that the people give up certain freedoms to the government to enable the government to better protect them. For instance, people give up the freedom of taking justice in their own hands by punishing other people who wrong them. However, Locke is quick to point out that people do not limit their freedom when they allow the government to resolve conflicts in the society. Instead, they collectively contribute towards the process of maintaining peace, law, and order amongst themselves. Niccolo Machiavelli’s republican ideologies in his discourses are in line with Locke’s argument about liberty in the theory of social contract. Machiavelli rejects a Christian moral universe openly in favor of a classical humanistic universe in which the people have liberty. His decision to reject the Christian moral universe illustrates that he clearly understands the concepts of both the Christian and the humanistic moral universes. According to him, the Christian moral universe puts emphasis on certain virtues including holiness, compassion, humility and so forth. On the other hand, he argues that the humanistic moral universe emphasizes on different virtues including decisiveness, power politics, and strength among others (Duff, 2011). According to him, the Christian moral virtues are good; however, they are not efficient enough to enable individuals to cope with daily life challenges especially the challenges that people of ancient Italy were going through. He claims that the Christian moral virtues instill fear in individuals and make them have sheep-like behaviors that hinder them from pursuing and expressing their liberty. Niccolo Machiavelli’s support for the republicanism ideologies proposed by Locke in the theory of social contract stem from his understanding of politics and relationships between political forces. His discourses depict his style of politics as always conflicting with any existing value system or moral framework. In his opinion, political forces are full of tension as few powerful individuals struggle to control and oppress the resisting majority. To him, this is a fight or a struggle for liberation and the resulting tension is not a challenge but the actual source of democracy, freedom, and political stability in the society. In this argument, he is keen to note that the government represents the interests of its citizens; if the government fails in this course, the people have the powers to overthrow the government and liberate themselves (Duff, 2011). Conclusion This essay sought to explore the extent to which Jon Locke’s social contract theory is compatible with the republican ideologies of Niccolo Machiavelli. In the achievement of this end, the essay established that both Niccolo Machiavelli and Jon Locke were great political theories whose ideologies continue to inspire modern day political activists in their struggle towards the attainment of democracy. In his social contract theory, Jon Locke argues that the people need the government to represent their collective interests. However, the people are more powerful than the government and should overthrow it if it represents the selfish interests of the minority. Machiavelli echoes similar views in his discourses. He supports the establishment of a democratic government that represents the interests of the majority. He further puts emphasis on the importance of political liberty without which he foresees chaos and political instability as the people fight towards the attainment of political liberty. Reference Duff, A. S. (2011). Republicanism and the Problem of Ambition: The Critique of Cicero in Machiavelli’s Discourses. Journal Of Politics, 73(4), 980-992. Maloy, J. S. (2009). The Aristotelianism of Locke's Politics. Journal Of The History Of Ideas, 70(2), 235-257. Read More