Political Theorists of 1600s & 1700s

Early political theorists made many attempts to reconcile the concepts of rights and equality within the framework of political thought and ideals. Differing points of view on these subjects existed among the many political philosophers and theorists. One view was that the early theorists were engaged in an impossible task when they sought to accommodate the concepts of rights and equality with the requirements of civil order. Another view held that some theorists believed that rights were, by their very nature, a demand for limited government. The concept of rights elevates, as an absolute, a few values or interests while denying the legitimacy of any governmental interference. Total equality, however, would deny any constraint or exception to majority rule if it were the law of the land.

Abstract terms, such as rights and equality, were a consuming passion among some political theorists who were expounding their philosophies in the 1600s and 1700s. Given the premise that the values associated with rights and equality were considered incompatible, rights and equality were rendered incongruous with requirements of an orderly society by some theorists. In practice, rights and equality could negate social order in the name of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Four prominent theorists of the 1600s and 1700s--Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Thomas Paine, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau--will be compared. They were relatively successful in reconciling equality and r

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ights concerned the governmental and constitutional rights of the people and how those rights must not be abridged. Throughout "Common Sense", he detailed the abuse and mistreatment to which the colonists had been subjected by King George. He questioned the right of any king to rule others without their consent. The new government he described had a constitutional charter, held elections, and had no monarchy. Rights and equality were constant companions to Paine. He proposed a new form of government in which free and frequent elections guaranteed the strength of government and the happiness of the governed. He wrote that "a government of our own is our natural right" (Paine, 1984, P. 49). John Locke was an English philosopher and political theorist. He studied the traditional classical curriculum at Oxford but later turned to medicine and science. Locke obtained a medical license and joined the household of the First Earl of Shaftesbury as a personal physician. Through Shaftesbury, Locke held minor government posts and became involved in the politics of the period. Shaftesbury was jailed and tried for treason as a result of his attempts to oust the Duke of York. Unfortunately, the Duke became King James II.

Category: Philosophy - P