John Locke and the Sovereign Individual

How John Locke changed the world

The sovereign individual is the most radical concept in world history.  Prior to the belief that each individual mattered, that each person had the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the sovereign individual was essentially non-existent.

Plato, for instance, was a proto-facist.

Aristotle, while particularly fond of  the middle class and a believer in the great souled man, provides no justification for the sovereign individual.

And Hobbes’ totalitarian state had no use for the individual who would allegedly, in a life without subordination to government, live in a state of a war for all against all.

Thus no other philosophies prior to Locke’s political philosophy made room for the sovereign individual.

And Locke’s philosophy would fundamentally transform society as we knew it.

In particular it took power from kings and emboldened the individual to live a life of justified work.

It also empowered people to own property at the expense of elites who regularly abused their power of taxation. Locke’s justification for property ownership was that in nature -- at a time prior to civilization -- people who worked on a tract of land were thereby the rightful owners of that land they mixed their labor with.  

Accordingly the reverse is true -- those who do not work on a particular piece of land have no claim to the fruits thereof.  And from this the founders were inspired to reject their subjugation to British rule.

Thus Locke’s philosophy was truly radical compared to those who preceded him.

And it may seem radical today -- for seemingly everyone has surrendered their natural rights only to be told by pundits and politicians what to do and how to think.

Zigmund Reichenbach holds a M.A. in Philosophy from West Chester University.  You can find him stirring up conversation in his Talk Politics Facebook group or you can follow him on Twitter @zreichenbach1.  If you too want to talk politics subscribe to our Talk Politics YouTube to be notified when our discussion goes live every Tuesday at 8:30PM.

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