Influential Philosophers Kant and Locke - Essay Example

Both Kant and Locke Both Kant and Locke were influential philosophers for the modern era. Each of them specialized in a different area of stress and interest, yet all of them tried to create an impression for humankind and questioned the manner in which human beings interact within the society. The two are not only concerned with the individual, but also the manner in which the individual interacts within a group, and the consequent tensions that may occur out of these interactions. This essay attempts to explore the manner in which both Locke and Kant address the concept of human freedom. Freedom, or the manner in which individuals are in a position to act on their own accord, is an important philosophical argument in the contemporary world. History indicates that Kant supported multinational organizations and the republican government. He had a strong faith in the universality of humanity. However, Kant argued that the natural end that everybody seeks to accomplish is personal happiness (Kant 98). However, the concept that people act out their own accord does not communicate all that Kant meant. According to Kant (6), nothing in the world can be regarded as good without sufficient reasons. Kant argues that as humans, we cannot prove that freedom is something real within ourselves and in the human nature. In Kant`s thinking, human thinking revolves around a circle. People tend to assume that they are free so that they think the moral law as are meant for them and as a result, they must obey them. To Kant, freedom is a subjective state of the mind, a concept of reason, which may be difficult to comprehend in reality. Thus to Kant, human freedom is embedded in the term enlightenment which to him is a process through which people free themselves from immaturity state of which they themselves take the responsibility. Locke believed that every person has the ability to govern himself and that each individual is equal to every other person. He refers to this as state of nature where he says every man has total liberty to act as he wills, free from interference by any other person. To Locke, in the state of nature, the enjoyment of freedom is uncertain because it is invaded by others who act as they wish; making enjoyment of property a person has in this state very unsafe. This natural state eventually comes into a state of war where men turn against one another. When men are faced with this condition, they quit the state of nature which is full of dangers and put themselves in government for the protection of their property giving up their freedom to do as they wish. To this extent, it’s true to point out that everyman is naturally free and that nothing subjects him to any power or authority without his consent. Consequently, human freedom in a consented government is where the people trade off their liberty and power entrusting them to the government they form in exchange of protection of their property peace and safety. The issue of the relationship of the concepts of natural rights construal, and freedom and equality is at the centre of discussion today as it was many centuries ago. Whereas Kant’s concept of freedom and equality and the views of Locke’s natural rights are generally accepted as the epitome of liberalism, the equality concept in relation to liberty still remains a subject of discussion. Kant views individual freedom in the context of equal opportunity for all. He claims that a person has one natural right only, that is freedom - the state where one is actually independent from being influenced or constrained by another person’s choice. Because of this right an individual may not be coerced arbitrarily, and not because of property right that covers self-ownership. In addition, Kant suggests that the pursuit for equality is lawful when there is no interference with the enjoyment of individual autonomy. Kant holds that equality and freedom is a state where an individual enjoys liberty without necessarily interfering with another person’s freedom or diminish the liberty of others. To Kant for one to realize the right to freedom there must be equality and he sees equality as a tool grated by the process of equal suffrage democracy to achieve personal freedom and sovereignty. Thus, Kant considers freedom as the original right that all individuals possess by the virtue of their humanity (Verhaeg 15). According to Locke (42), each person possesses natural rights of liberty, life and property. For Lock, these rights have demarcated boundary lines of dominion within which each person may act as he or she deems fit. Lock views these rights as natural rights and emphasizes that the natural rights are independent of any governmental power. He explains that the right to property refers to a person’s right to the fruits of his labor and what they obtain in exchange of the fruits of their labor. Even though Lock acknowledged that the natural rights construal created within itself inconveniencies which make men to quit the natural state, and instead enter into a societal authority, he is quick to point out that the government entrusted with the political authority may violate their subject’s rights. Thus for Locke entering into governmental authority does not mean handing over a person’s natural rights to such authorities but transferring to governmental authority the responsibility of protecting those natural rights. Failure by the government to carry out this duty, Locke argues that individuals have the right to resist that governmental authority by use of force if necessary. Hence Locke asserts the basic construal of self-ownership for example , a person’s body, will and work that entitles men to that part of the earth which is un owned through mixing their labor to it. Every man can therefore have a claim over a property if “there is enough and as good left in common for others” (Locke 11). To this end, it is quite clear that the concept of freedom and equality postulated by Kant is more of an extension of Locke’s notion of natural rights construal. Kant further reinforced this notion by looking at it from a social point of view. For instance, Kant accepts Locke’s view that individually un-owned things like land can be acquired by individuals. It is also evident that they agree on the formation of government by individuals with slight difference on the role the government is supposed to play. Furthermore, Kant’s notion of freedom connects well with Locke’s natural rights concept in that both points towards a state where individuals are at liberty to act as they wish provided that they don’t interfere with others’ rights. It is therefore important to point out that Kant’s views in this context are an improvement of Locke’s notion of natural rights construal rather than criticism or rejection. Therefore, one can be a Lockian and a Kantian in relation to the concept of freedom and equality, and natural rights construal notion. Works Cited Locke, John. Second treatise of government (1689) .Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 1980, Print. Verhaegh, Marcus. Kant and Property Rights. Journal of Libertarian Studies 18.3 (2004):11-32. John Locke of Civil Government -Second Treatise, Chicago: Henry Regnery Company, 1955, p. xi. ‘Theory and practice’ in Immanuel Kant Political Writings, ed. H. Reiss, CUP, 1970 (CUP edition pagination) Read More