John Locke’s Liberal and Horizontal Theory

John Locke’s “Two Treaties of Government” and his famous pamphlet concerning
toleration form an interesting contribution to liberal and horizontal conceptions of government.
Locke’s thoughts are central to our understanding of political power and how the present-day
relations between states and their citizens are conceived.
In the first of his famous essays, he criticizes current absolutist theories, especially those
presented by Robert Filmer and Thomas Hobbe. Filmer’s views are based on divine rights where
an absolute monarch was passed down through generations since Adam. While rejecting the
Hobbesian conception of absolutism, Locke launches an emphatic rebuttal against it. However,
while both Locke’s politics derive its validity from contract, Locke’s social contract is essentially
different in that it emphasizes the freedom of society and the democratic legitimacy of the
government. In his second essay, he looks at the issue of religious freedom which is contained in
“Letters Concerning Tolerations”.
In contrast, from Hobbes’ viewpoint regarding the law of unjust actions it is completely
divergent in Locke’s social contract theory. For Hobbes, natural order entails constant warfare
and struggle, whereby individuals are forced to create a social order for their own safety reasons.
In sharp contrast, Locke sees the state of nature as a place where people co-exist peacefully with
each other operating under the law of nature that prohibits any person from physically hurting
another’s life, freedom and or property. However, although one is expected to abide by its
individuals do not always, that is why there is a government required.

To overcome this dilemma, there is the social contact of Locke’s. People come together
by their own will and set up a political society for providing security to life, liberty, and
properties that have been exposed to risks in the state of nature. For instance, one is deemed as
having “tacitly” consented simply by being within the country and enjoying protection of law.
The key point in Locke’s theory lies in the fact that power belongs to those who people rule, and
the purpose of government is to make and implement fair and just laws. The social contract is the
basis of a society including citizens’ rights and obligations and duties of rulers; the former do not
provide rulers with unlimited power. Throughout his work, Lock expounds on the classical
liberal notions of the right to life, liberty and property as well as government being restricted in
its function to serve the public good.
Resistance is another idea presented by Locke, who argues that one can disregard a government
when it deviates from its role of ensuring general well-being. He identifies four justifiable
situations for governmental dissolution by citizens: Conquest, subversion, tyranny is followed by
an executive branch that assumes the roles of the legislature. Furthermore, Locke also mentions
the fifth instance that is the present-day concept of ‘disobedience to unjust laws’ in which
citizens can disobey the ruling if it is considered imperative enough, like the right to conscience.

However, Locke sets a range of conditions for disobedience warning that prevent him/her
from refusing minor injuries and only continuous major ones. It invites regular riots and civil
war; in fact, force ought to be rare.
Through this theory also, the two differ on rebellion versus revolutions since it allows for
revolt in cases where the state violates the social pact. It is necessary for people’s resistance to
come up from their common interest rather than from their individual interest. To Locke, the
right of resistance acts as a political tool for reestablishing the agreement and not destroying it.
My understanding of Locke’s view on obedience would be a horizontal one—in other words this
obedience is between parties of equal status in terms of Locke’s “social contract”.

Locke’s advice on resisting the tyranny of unjust laws is in the form of passive non-
compliance and acceptance of punishments. It seeks to guarantee peace keeping as well as
protection of life and liberty, respect of property in the society with minimum possible harm. He
adds that justice will come when one dies, connecting sinning against oneself with minimal harm
to other people. In fact, the ideas of resistance and disobedience proposed by Locke have had
significant impact on liberal political thought and still are very relevant in the discussions about
relations between citizens and the state.