17TH CENTURY ENGLISH POLITICAL THEORY

Context: Stuart divine right claims; Civil War, Revolution of 1688

Central question: How do governments arise?
Responses:  appeals to "natural law" theory as means to criticize traditional,
                     existing structure of politics, society.

KING JAMES I True Law of Free Monarchies 1598 (while King of Scotland)
     statement of divine right of kings to rule without limits on power

SIR ROBERT FILMER Patriarchia 1630  (nobleman, eldest of 17 sons)
  rejects state of nature theory for Biblical argument: government created by God
    monarch's divine right to rule modeled on paternal power over children
    royal power descends to eldest son through primogeniture (from Adam) 

THOMAS HOBBES (1588-1679): royalist, 1651 Leviathan
          pessimistic theory reflects negative experience of English Civil War
Human nature: no natural social instincts
State of nature: "war of all against all"
            life in natural state is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short"
            men live in fear; seek protection by surrendering to the strongest
Social contract: surrender of "natural" liberty to absolute ruler
State: artificial construction devised by men to achieve peace, justice   
government as "leviathan," most powerful beast which subdues others

JOHN LOCKE (1643-1704)
son of Puritan lawyer; physician to Earl of Shaftesbury,
    part of Whig effort to exclude James II from succession, exiled 1683 by Charles II
    Treatises written in1680's, published in 1689, after Glorious Revolution

First Treatise of Government -- against Filmer
     limits on power of fathers: seen in role of women and children
      fathers share power over children with the mother;
      child has independent property rights at age of majority;
      parental obligations: can forfeit power through lack of care for child

Second Treatise of Government -- against Hobbes (see Discussion questions for Friday)
Central issues & concepts:
human nature: motivated not by passion & fear, by reason (law of nature)
      state of nature: harmonious, men start out basically free & equal
      property: labor theory of value: investment of labor creates property right
                     natural limits on property accumulation = spoilage
      transition from state of nature to state of society:
money: removes natural limit on property; now governmental protection needed;
consent or compact as basis of government: compact versus contract
                   government limited to protection of "life, liberty and property"
political society: composed of community of property holders;
                   presence indicated by presence of law, judicial system
                   taxation only through political representation
state of war: any attempt to get another into one's power; examples include
                    slavery, criminals, relations between states, absolute monarchy
dissolution of the state:   if state does not fulfill obligations,
right of revolution reserved to citizens = "appeal to heaven"

Letter Concerning Toleration 1689
  no defense of Christianity by force; all religions to be tolerated if they assert
    existence of God and belief in afterlife (to reward virtue & punish vice)
 BUT: opposed to "enthusiasm" in religion (e.g. Quakers), to atheists (as
    untrustworthy), & Roman Catholics (seen as agents of foreign power)

Reasonableness of Christianity
    Christianity as reasonable, demonstrate with "mathematical certainty"
    Scripture: "writings designed by God for instruction of the illiterate"