Philosophers from the ancient times to philosophers of today and the modern society all have voiced their opinions on how a government should be set up and ruled in order to have a just society. Some philosophers say that the government is corrupt and unjust while others argue that the government controls fairly and appropriately. The two main positions that philosophers believe are resources in society should be distributed to obtain common good and live life as long as you do not infringe on others. The laws and rules the United States government currently has in place today often originate from these philosophers ideas and work to maintain a just society. The definition of a just society can be described as a society with equality and solidarity where everyone is treated the way they deserve to be treated. The government today has control over the people to avoid chaos but tries their best to best serve its people. People in society deserve to be treated fairly based off their natural rights of being human. The Declaration of Independence states that the consent of the govern is applied to serve its citizens with the best laws and regulations to keep the people in a state of contempt and delectation. Governments are supposed to protect and give the people of a nation the rights and justice they deserve with the consent of the governed. If humans are treated fairly and justly then the people will respect the government and not cause chaos. Just societies start from a stable form of government and work their down to the people of society through the laws and regulations set in place by government trying to treat them as fairly and justly as possible.
The ancient philosopher Plato was a Greek philosopher who based his ideas on...
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... idea, “Voice of the people.” He said humans coming together creates commonwealth secures the liberties for citizens.
Just societies start from the people fighting for what they deserve. A society must work together to achieve their rights and liberties as a natural born person to a country. The governments in a society must listen to the people and be strong in order to provide for the citizens whether its providing the public good or not infringing on others. People must work together to be a society with equal and just treatment. From classical philosophers to contemporary philosophers ideas about government and just societies shift from person to person but all maintain the main idea of providing a strong government whether its just or not. A just society will always be different to each person and will never be completely correct.
In an absolute government, the people are not in a position to question the government on their decisions. Moreover the corruption in those governments can run a muck if not checked. In order to circumvent this Locke suggests creating separate powers to both pass and enforce the law. Locke was one of the first political philosophers to separate powers of the government, which was in direct difference from the absolute monarchies he was living under. According to John Locke the government should consist of a legislative branch and an executive branch (Locke 1681, 335-37). The former makes the laws while the later enforces it. He further gives prerogative power to the executive branch to make decisions must be made by the executive branch can be made by their own discretion as long as it is of the public good ((Locke 1681, 244). The separating the powers is effective because it allows for a type of checks and balances. It means that the ones passing the laws are not fully exempt from being punished by them if the need arises. Secondly because of the prerogative power of the executive branch, it theoretically can allow for the executive branch to step in and prevent any unjust laws from passing, if they choose not to enforce it. The downside of this is depended on the number of people in the community. If the community is too big, then it might be harder to
The king says “That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” This quote/statement explains that all people have rights including men, all men are created equal, all men are treated the same as any other person. The Declaration of Independence also tells us that the Government also has the job to help people have the truths that they want or want to hear from them. “That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundation in such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.” This is stating that the people in America should abolish and alter their rights that they do have, the government that prevents the truths need to
...equality. While it is a nice notion that there should be a society free of jealousy, war, and inequality, it is not accomplished by a government imposing laws which regulates its citizens’ success (even if that law if from the people). This type of social structure, where everyone is treated equally discourages work because minimal effort will reap the same results. Rather, the ideal government is a limited one; one where commerce and capitalism is encouraged.
...ituted Locke’s ideas into the American system of government. They sought to uphold equality, govern by consent, and protect the rights of man. In doing so, the Founders established a government that operates within the bounds of reason and nature. That government stands today as the United States of America, in part to John Locke, the philosopher.
It has been said that the Declaration of independence is “what holds us together and legitimizes out political aspirations” (Eastland, 2014) and that leads to the outlining of the new government. The forefathers wanted government that would provide them with the rights they had as God fearing people. These basic rights included life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The rights the colonist added in the Declaration of Independence also stated that the government was to, under any circumstance, protect all citizen’s rights. The Declaration of Independence highlighted where the government’s power should come from; which would be the governed or the people. Lastly it is the responsibility and right of the people to keep the government running properly and if the government is not completing the task of protecting the rights of the people it is to be overthrown. With a very strong outline of a new philosophy of government the first purpose of the Declaration of Independences was established. This portion declared independence from the British rule and publically announced how they are going to do
One of Locke’s broadest conclusions is his definition of the role of the state. He defines the states only real role is to ensure justice is done based on what he states are unalienable rights granted to all: life, liberty and the pursuit of estate. Because society has given birth to the state to defend these rights that define justice, society also grants legitimacy to the state. We see echoes of Locke’s theories manifested in societal archetypes like democracy and perhaps even certain anarchist theories.
People have their own perspective of a government that they envision for their people. Thomas Jefferson has been the president of the United States and ruled under a monarch. Jefferson couldn’t tolerate the abuse from a monarch, so he rebelled against the British crown. In 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote The Declaration of Independence, and declared the colonies were free from British rule. Before he became the author of The Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was established “ as an ardent republican and revolutionary” (Jacobus 77). Jacobus states Jefferson is, “one of the most versatile Americans of any generation” (Jacobus 78). In The Declaration of Independence, Jefferson and the founding fathers envisioned a government that would govern the people, and the people would be free. The people must be governed with rights, Jefferson implies it’s the government’s duty to guide and secure the people, therefore, he believes the government’s obligation to the individual is more important than the individuals obligation to the state.
Locke states that the correct form of civil government should be committed to the common good of the people, and defend its citizens’ rights to life, health, liberty, and personal possessions. He expects that a civil government’s legislative branch will create laws which benefit the wellbeing of its citizens, and that the executive branch will enforce laws under a social contract with the citizenry. “The first and fundamental positive law of all common-wealths is the establishing of the legislative power; as the first and fundamental natural law, which is to govern even the legislative itself, is the preservation of the society and (as far as will consist with the public good) of every person in it.”1 Locke believes that humans inherently possess complete and i...
First, The Declaration of Independence searches for the justice within the current society and stretches for justice within themselves as independent leaders. The United States declare their much-deserved independence, stating “…that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights…” (Jefferson 156). The justice of God provides rights to all men that are not revocable; no one can rightfully take them away. Mankind should pursue the discovery of justice within not each other, but themselves. They must come together to form a union. A united group of people all organizing the principles of justice into rights within society to create equality of individuals. The King of Britain abused his rule over the colonies, providing unjust governing and destructive safety. The Declaration of Independence abolished the differences among the people of the nation, and linked them together to find justice within a passionate group of individuals.
As human beings we are constantly at war with each other, because we believe we are all right. This common misconception leads to a war of all against all, and creates pandemonium. As a result, we create governments to maintain control. Obviously there is no such thing as a perfect government, and there will never be a perfect government. However, there are some methods of governing that come extremely close to achieving an ideal government. John Locke offers a way of governing, which I believe comes remarkably close to creating a flawless government. John Locke constructs a government that is controlled by the will of the people, which can easily be abolished if it does not adhere to protecting their fundamental rights of the people.
The men who wrote the American constitution agreed with Thomas Hobbes that humans were naturally evil. Therefore, they agreed that in order to prevent a dictatorship or monarchy, the citizens should have influence in the government. The writers wanted a more ideal constitution, but they realized evil human motives would never change. One of the main goals of the constitution was to create a balanced government that would allow the citizens to prevent each other from being corrupt. The writers wanted to give citizens liberty, but they did not want to give people so much liberty that they would have an uncontrollable amount of power. The writers agreed that a citizen’s influence in government would be proportionate to that individual’s property.
Altogether, John Locke was recognized as a great political philosopher during his own lifetime, and his theories would spread across the world and influence countless other individuals, as well as nations themselves. The basic points of Locke’s system of government were that there should be a constitutional government, in which the power goes up. The people allow the ruler to govern, and it is with their consent that he is able to do so. But the one thing that makes Locke’s theory different is that society has the power to overthrow the government. Since a majority created it, they have the power to remove it.
Justice is a vital part of governmental systems. Justice is a way to control the activities of citizens without infringing on their rights. Without justice, the acts of the citizens living under a government could not be very well controlled. There would be no punishments for bad behavior with would make this type of behavior more common. Even though justice acts as a way to loosely control the acts of citizens, it doesn't affect their liberty. Liberty is freedom. No one would want to live under a government under which they have no freedom and are controlled. Defense is also very important in a government. The protection of the people should be in high priority of the government. The government is there to serve the people and make life better for everyone. If they don't protect the people then there is no point in the government.
Law is one of the most important elements that transform humans from mere beasts into intelligent and special beings. Law tells us what is right and wrong and how we, humans, should act to achieve a peaceful society while enjoying individual freedoms. The key to a successful nation is a firm, strong, and fair code of high laws that provides equal and just freedom to all citizens of the country. A strong government is as important as a firm code of law as a government is a backbone of a country and of the laws. A government is a system that executes and determines its laws. As much as fair laws are important, a capable government that will not go corrupt and provide fair services holds a vital role in building and maintaining a strong country.