John Locke and Karl Marx on Social Justice

Social justice is how justice is served throughout a society as a whole or to it's classes. Various unique ideas on creating a just society have been established throughout history. Two of the more well-known concepts are those of Locke and Marx. While both have their ideas for a "Just State", they are both very different within their aspects.

John Locke's views on social justice and a just state began with his belief that all humans are governed by what he calls "natural laws" and are protected by their "inalienable personal rights." Our inalienable rights are life, liberty, health, and property. They are considered inalienable rights because they are God-given, and ideally, no other human could ever have the right to remove or threaten the existence of them.

One of Locke's more important concepts is that of the "right to property". He elaborated much farther than the idea of one's possession of material objects. His idea of one's right to property centers on our right to our own bodys. This includes the very important idea that we can all live our lives freely with the right to pursue happiness.

Locke describes the state of nature as being one where all men are free to perform their own actions, and everyone is equal. No one person has more power or jurisdiction than another, and it is reciprocated. This means that if one person has the power to do something to or make a legal decision regarding a second, that person has the same power over the first person. In this state of nature as described by Locke, the people are governed by what he calls natural laws. As Locke states in The Second Treatise of Civil Government, “…and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that being all equal and indep...

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...children due to poverty and disease, was a factor in fueling his drive towards creating a just society.

Marx argued that the class system created a feudal society. "The bourgeoisie cannot exist without constantly revolutionizing the instruments of production, and thereby the relations of production, and with them the whole relations of society." The proletariat made up a greater percentage of the population, and as Marx saw it, made them greater in strength. This, combined with the threat of their economic stability, gives them an advantage in forming a revolt against the bourgeoisie. As Marx saw it, eliminating the class system entirely over time would be the key point in creating a just society. In his ideal society, there would be economic equality, and no class division. People would be able to do what they wanted, therefore there would be no desire to exploit.