Political Science

John Locke said The state of Nature has a law of Nature to govern it, which obliges every one, and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind who will but consult it, that being equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions. In another setting, he said that the purpose of the government is to protect life, liberty, and property.

John Locke argued that the essence of human existence lies in the recognition of the value of life. Life here is used in its broad sense. It refers to the physical, social, and psychological condition of the individual. This definition has two important implications. First, self-preservation is a natural act. And second, only external political forces can dramatically influence life. In his second treatise, it is clear that the terms life and health are of the same substance. He interchanged the terms several times, but clearly recognized that life is the more encompassing concept.

The term liberty refers generally to individual freedom. It may also be applied to the freedom of the nation-state. But as Lockes topic was the English Revolution, the term should be applied in its narrow sense. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson used the concept both in its narrow and broad sense. Liberty was equated with freedom (or even sovereignty). It was recognition of the broken political ties between Great Britain and the newly-founded nation. In its narrow sense, liberty pertains to the pursuit of individual freedom. This freedom however is constrained by the freedom of individual. In his latter letters, Jefferson argued that the central tenet of liberty is freedom of the will  the absence of externalities.

Locke used the word property in both narrow and broad senses. In its narrow sense, it, refers to material goods. In a broad sense, it covers a wide range of human interests and aspirations. Locke argued that property is a natural right of man  a product of the Natural Law. Indeed, being a product of labor, property is inherently a deposition of the inherent right of man to self-preservation. In short, property is an act of self-preservation. Jefferson used the term pursuit of happiness because of two major reasons. First, happiness or satisfaction can be derived from material and non-material goods. Second, the term pursuit of happiness connotes a sense of naturalness  a reference to Lockes concept of Natural Law. Indeed, the term encompasses both material and non-material concepts. In short, the term, some political scientists argued, is the culmination of the natural theory of the state and the individual.