A Defense of John Locke's Second Treatise on Civil Government.
When Robert Filmer wrote Patriarca in 1680 defending the divine right of kings to rule, an Englishman by the name of John Locke anonymously published The Second Treatise on Civil Government to rebut the increasingly popular pro-absolutist views. The result is a work that defines political societies and the nature of human beings in a manner that shaped the modern world.
John Locke holds that every individual is born naturally free to do as the please, but with that freedom they must abide by the laws of nature. The law of nature states that every individual must focus on the preservation of their self without infringing on the livelihood of others. Implied within the law is that all individuals are equal as no one can take away any others" right to self preservation. The state of nature exists before the state of political society. Therefore, those who do not reside in a political society reside in the state of nature and must adhere to its laws. .
One enters a political society for the sole reason of preserving property. Locke believes that God endowed man with the earth and its resources so that he may enjoy it. Furthermore, there is an unlimited amount of resources in the world. (Note: The second treatise of government is written when America and the New World is still in its infancy.) With these two premises it follows that man is allowed to acquire as much wealth as possible so long as he uses it and enjoys it while not infringing on others" rights to the same wealth. Also, when acquiring the wealth you cannot decrease the standard of living because that will hinder the right of others to gain wealth. For a man to gain property, he must mix his labor with an object to make it his. A simple example is picking an apple. It is removed from nature by plucking it from the tree and made his.
The freedoms of the society are decided by the people of that society.