Explain the Social Contract Theory according to John Locke

John Locke 1632-1704; in his book Two Treatises if Government (1690) states that in the state of nature men are free and equal; each lives according to his own liking. There is a natural law or the law of reason which commands that no one shall impair the life , the health, the freedom and the possession of another. The law of Locke stresses freedom and preservation of all men unlike that of Hobbes that emphasized self preservation.
The state is created through a medium of contract in which individuals agree with every other to give up their natural rights of enforcing law of reason in that life liberty and property are preserved. Locke unlike Hobbes gives power to the community and not a government. The natural rights of life, liberty and property are reserved to the individual.
Legislative powers constituted by the consent of the people becomes the supreme power but is not arbitrary. It must be exercised for the good of the subjects . Government holds such legislative power in trust. The legislature can dispense justice by standing laws, no one can be deprived of his property without their consent, taxes can not be levied without consent of the people or their representatives. Legislature can transfer this power to another person or body because it is delegated power from the people who alone can dispose of it. The people can dispose of the legislature if acts contrary to the trusted bestowed on it.
According to Locke the community is sovereign or supreme. The power of the community is latent as long as the government is acting in accordance to the trust bestowed on it but when it acts contrary to the trust the power of the community manifests itself in its right to replace that government by another. Locke’s theory resulted into a constitutional government.
Locke central idea is that government rests on the consent of the governed and people have the right to change the government if it acts contrary to wishes of the people.

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Titany answered the question on August 27, 2021 at 05:54