The Case of True Freedom

Alvaro Rios

LDST 101-Leadership and the Humanities

Dr. Wren

University of Richmond

The Case of True Freedom

All men are born into “a state of perfect freedom”(Locke 8). Men are entitled to make decisions according to their own free will, and, thus, choose to live however they see fit. Yet, in his Second Treatise of Government, the English philosopher John Locke argues that to be part of a “politic society” it is necessary to place limits the rights to which all human beings are entitled from birth (Locke 14). Primarily, individual liberty in the natural state is governed by a different set of laws than individual freedom in a civic society. Hence, by becoming a member of an organized society, a person restricts his own natural liberty and submits himself to the rule of a government. Locke discusses the natural state, under which liberty is constrained only by the law of nature. He then proceeds to justify the need for a government by presenting the state of war, the natural right to property, and the basis of authority in the family through parental guidance. Finally, Locke describes an efficient and just society in which the majority rules and the people freely choose to renounce to some of their innate liberty for the greater benefits of becoming members of a civic society. Though in the natural state individuals are entitled to a greater degree of freedom, they choose to submit to the restrictions on their individual liberty imposed by a government in order to live peacefully in a just and lawful society where they are able to benefit from the whole and work for the improvement of mankind. By means of an organized government, men are able to achieve true freedom and avoid a state of discord.

Mankind’s state of nature is defined as one in which everyone possesses innate rights to liberty, equity, and property. In such a state, freedom is found in its most pristine form, thus unrestricted except for the boundaries of reason. According to Locke, under...