If We Lose John Locke, We Lose America | 5 Minute Video
Summary
TLDRIn this Prager University video, Ben Shapiro discusses the influence of 17th-century philosopher John Locke on the American founding, particularly on Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence. Locke's ideas of natural equality, inherent rights, and the purpose of government to protect these rights resonated with the American revolutionaries. Shapiro argues that contemporary challenges to Locke's principles threaten the very foundation of American democracy and calls for a re-embracement of these foundational ideas.
Takeaways
- 📜 Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence was inspired by John Locke's political philosophy.
- ✍️ Jefferson's writing skills are widely admired, but Locke's influence on his ideas is less appreciated today.
- 📚 John Locke, a 17th-century English thinker, argued for the rights of individuals against monarchy.
- 🗽 Locke's key ideas: All men are created equal, rights exist independently of government, and government exists to protect those rights.
- 👑 Locke believed that no person, including kings, was superior to others in terms of fundamental rights.
- ⚖️ Locke argued that freedom is a natural state of humanity, existing before the formation of governments.
- 🏛️ Government's primary purpose, according to Locke, is to protect individuals' freedom and property.
- 🚫 Locke asserted that when a government abuses its power or fails to protect rights, it loses its legitimacy.
- ⚡ Jefferson adapted Locke’s arguments from the Glorious Revolution to justify the American Revolution.
- 🔍 The script argues that modern America has strayed from Locke's vision, with some people favoring government control over individual freedoms.
Q & A
Who are the key figures mentioned in the script that contributed to the drafting of the Declaration of Independence?
-The key figures mentioned are John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson, who were involved in reading and shaping the draft of the Declaration of Independence.
What is the significance of John Locke's work in the context of the Declaration of Independence?
-John Locke's work, particularly his 'Two Treatises of Government,' provided philosophical underpinnings and inspiration for the Declaration of Independence, influencing its ideas about natural rights and the purpose of government.
What was the political climate in England during the time when John Locke wrote 'Two Treatises of Government'?
-The political climate in England was turbulent, having just experienced the 'Glorious Revolution' of 1688, which saw the overthrow of Catholic King James II and the establishment of Protestant King William of Orange.
What was the main purpose of the 'Glorious Revolution' according to John Locke?
-The main purpose of the 'Glorious Revolution' was to shift power from the monarch to the people and their elected representatives, ensuring that the laws and liberties belonged to the citizens.
What is the meaning behind the phrase 'No taxation without representation' as mentioned in the script?
-The phrase 'No taxation without representation' reflects the American colonists' discontent with being taxed by the English crown and parliament without having a say in the laws being imposed on them.
According to John Locke, what are the three fundamental arguments that support the idea of government?
-Locke's three fundamental arguments are: 1) All men are created equal, 2) Certain basic rights exist independent of government, and 3) Government exists to protect those rights.
How does John Locke define the natural state of man?
-John Locke defines the natural state of man as being free from any superior power on earth, meaning that freedom is a natural right that pre-exists the formation of government.
What role does property play in John Locke's philosophy regarding government?
-In Locke's philosophy, government is also tasked with protecting individuals' property, which includes land and material goods lawfully acquired by individuals, alongside their personal freedoms.
What is the contemporary challenge to John Locke's ideas as presented in the script?
-The contemporary challenge to John Locke's ideas includes beliefs that humans are not created equal, that rights are granted by government, and that government should have almost unlimited power, which contrasts with Locke's principles of limited government and individual rights.
Why is it important to reintroduce John Locke's ideas according to the script?
-Reintroducing John Locke's ideas is important because they are fundamental to understanding America's history and character, and losing these ideas could lead to losing the essence of what America stands for.
Outlines
📜 Influence of John Locke on the American Revolution
John Adams and Benjamin Franklin recognized the influence of John Locke's political philosophy on Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence. Locke, a 17th-century English thinker, advocated for the transfer of power from the monarch to the people and their representatives, which resonated with the American colonists' discontent over 'taxation without representation.' His ideas were foundational to the American Revolution, as they supported the notion that government should serve to protect individual rights and freedoms, not to dominate them.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡John Locke
💡Declaration of Independence
💡Natural Rights
💡Social Contract
💡Glorious Revolution
💡Two Treatises of Government
💡No taxation without representation
💡Equality
💡Property Rights
💡Ben Shapiro
💡Prager University
Highlights
John Adams and Benjamin Franklin recognized Jefferson's prose and the influence of John Locke on the Declaration of Independence.
John Locke's political philosophy was a significant influence on Thomas Jefferson.
Locke was born in 1632 and became famous for his political theories rather than his medical studies.
Locke authored 'Two Treatises of Government' in 1690, reflecting on the Glorious Revolution.
The Glorious Revolution aimed to shift power from the monarch to the people.
Locke believed that the laws and liberties belonged to the citizens, not the monarch.
The American colonists felt they had no say in laws imposed by England, leading to the 'No taxation without representation' sentiment.
Jefferson used Locke's arguments to justify the American Revolution, mirroring the English one.
Locke posited that all men are created equal, a radical notion in 1690.
Locke argued that basic rights exist independent of government, as freedom pre-exists government.
Government's role, according to Locke, is to protect individual freedom and property rights.
If government fails to protect rights or abuses power, it loses its legitimacy.
Locke's philosophy can be summarized as 'Don't tread on me', reflecting American values.
Some Americans today reject Locke's ideas, believing in unequal treatment based on group identity.
There is a belief among some that government should have almost unlimited power, contrary to Locke's philosophy.
Reintroducing Locke's ideas is necessary to preserve the fundamental elements of American history and character.
Losing Locke's ideas could mean losing America, according to Ben Shapiro.
Transcripts
When John Adams and Benjamin Franklin read Thomas Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration
of Independence, they undoubtedly recognized two things: Jefferson’s peerless prose,
and the political wisdom of the 17th-century English thinker, John Locke.
We still admire Jefferson’s skill as a writer. But we have lost an appreciation for Jefferson’s
philosophical mentor. John Locke was born in 1632 in a small village
in Somerset, England. He studied at Oxford to be a physician but achieved fame as a political
theorist. In 1690, he authored one of the most famous
political tracts in history, Two Treatises of Government. England had just gone through
a period of great political turmoil, the so-called “Glorious Revolution” of 1688 in which
the Catholic king, James II, was overthrown and replaced by a Protestant one, William
of Orange. The purpose of that revolution, which Locke
supported, was not merely to substitute one king for another, but to move power away from
the monarch and place it in the hands of the people and their elected representatives.
The “laws and liberties of this kingdom,” in Locke’s view, belonged to its citizens.
This was, of course, how the American rebels saw their relationship with England. The Americans
had no say in laws that the English crown and parliament were forcing on them. And—to
put it mildly—they didn’t like it. “No taxation without representation” was a classic
expression of their displeasure. But how to frame the argument so that the
whole world would understand it? Jefferson looked to Locke for inspiration and guidance.
And using Locke helped in another way: How better, Jefferson calculated, to justify an
American revolution than to use the arguments that were once used to justify an English one?
So what were those arguments? Locke posited three.
First: All men are created equal. Second:
Certain basic rights exist independent of government. Third: Government exists to protect
those rights. Let’s take them in turn.
Number one: All men are created equal. Locke starts this argument at a very basic
level—namely, that human beings were created equal by God. We’re all part of the same
species. We’re all capable of doing human things. In that sense, we are equal—not
in qualities or outcome, but in rights. As John Locke wrote, “Creatures of the same
species...born to all the same advantages of nature, and the use of the same faculties,
should also be equal...without subordination or subjection.”
In this way, a king is in no way superior to a commoner such that he might violate the
commoner’s rights. The king is a human being. The commoner is a human being. Each can reason.
Therefore, one is equal to the other. We take this for granted now, but in 1690 it was a
radical notion. Number two: Certain basic rights exist independent
of government. Locke believed that it was man’s natural
state to be free. Therefore, freedom pre-exists government. That is, freedom came first; government
came later. One hears this thinking expressed in Jefferson’s famous phrase, “We hold
these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed
by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…”
Here’s how Locke put it: “The natural [state] of man is to be free from any superior
power on earth. And not to be under the will or legislative authority [of a government]…”
As rational human beings, Locke contended,
we have the liberty—whether king or commoner— to think and act as we wish so long as we
harm no one else. Number three: Government exists to protect
those rights. For Locke, the purpose of government was to
protect the individual’s freedom and to protect the property (the land and material
goods) he lawfully acquired. The last thing Locke wanted was to give the government the
power to take away that liberty or undermine those property rights. If government couldn’t
provide those protections, or if it abused its power, it didn’t deserve to exist. “The
end of law,” he wrote, “is not to abolish or restrain [freedom], but to preserve and
enlarge freedom.” Boiled down into a revolutionary slogan, we
might summarize Locke’s three-pronged philosophy this way: “Don’t tread on me.” Can’t
get much more American than that. But today, Locke’s ideas are under full-fledged
assault. There are many Americans who believe that human beings are not created equal—that
we should treat people differently based on their group identity. There are many Americans
who believe that rights do not pre-exist government—that government is both our master and protector,
granting and withdrawing privileges as it sees fit. And there are many Americans who
believe that government should have almost unlimited power.
Everything that Locke rejected, these Americans rush to embrace. Their preference for paternalistic
government is not what Locke envisioned or what Jefferson described in the Declaration
of Independence. We need to reintroduce John Locke and his
ideas to a nation that has become increasingly blind to fundamental elements of its own history
and character. Because if we lose Locke, we lose America.
I’m Ben Shapiro for Prager University.
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