LOCKE AND ROUSSEAU

Two Differing Enlightenment Philosophies…

• One of the greatest Enlightenment era philosophers

• Believed in a concept called the “state of nature” or “natural law.”

• Promoted the idea of the social contract

JOHN LOCKE

• Another great Enlightenment philosopher

• French• Writer• Musician

JEAN-JACQUESROUSSEAU

BASIC BELIEFS

• Rousseau believed society (culture or those around you) corrupted people and so government must save everyone.

• John Locke believed that all people had natural rights (rights given by God)

• Absolute monarchists didn’t believe citizens had rights at all.

LOCKE’S VIEW ON THE SOCIAL CONTRACT…

• Locke taught that the social contract was an agreement between the people and the government.

• Thus, government was designed to protect our rights, not infringe (or take away) our rights.

• Locke supported the idea that if government took people’s rights, then people had the right to create a new one.

• In other words, government is by consent. People can “divorce” their government if there is a problem.

WHAT IF GOVERNMENT DOESN’T DO THIS?

• Believed that government should create laws that benefit the majority of the people.

• This limits government in that government must help the majority.

• This concept is democracy.

ROUSSEAU HOWEVER…

• Both men believed in a limited government and people having rights.

• Their works influenced the idea of popularity sovereignty, or the notion that government gets it powers from the people.

SIMILARITIES

HOW DID EARLY AMERICANS VIEW THESE GUYS?

Early Americans did NOT support Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s democratic ideals. They worried about a tyranny of the majority.

John Locke was a MAJOR influence on American government.