POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS AS BASIC FUNDAMENTAL PROTECTION OF MAN

John Locke is among the most influential political philosophers of the modern period. In the Two Treaties of Government, he claimed that men by nature and free and equal against the “divine right theory” claims that God had made all people naturally subject to a monarch. Locke argued that people have rights, such as the right to life, liberty, and property that have a foundation independent of the laws of any particular society. The social contract, where in the people in the state of nature agrees to transfer some of their rights to the sovereign such as the government to insure of protection of their properties, lives, and liberties. According to him if the government fails to promote the public good, it can be resisted and replaced with a new government by revolution. Locke also defends the principle of majority rule and the separation of legislative and executive powers.

Man is considered as a human being; therefore he/she has the capacity to exists as rational and free within their expected societal acceptance. By nature man is capable of understanding the “causes and effect” of their actions, as Lock claimed that “all men by nature are equal”, that is to say that everyone has an equal right to his / her own freedom without being subjected to the will or authority of another. We are all governed by “the law of reason”, in which “Law” is not so much limited as the direction of a free and intelligent agent to his proper interest. Thus self-government according to the law of reasons is necessary for human freedom. This freedom of man, and the liberty of acting according to his own will is grounded on his having reason, which able to instruct himself in “Law”. As men multiply, there is a need to for us to create a vital form of control in setting up societies, various institutions in order to preserve peace, liberty, justice. The political institutions as the basic fundamental institutions for man’s survival, we must support and utilize it in a proper manner. Man needs political institutions to exist as rational and free, because it is need to protect the basic fundamental rights of people, property, and etc. Without the existence of political institutions, man will lead to chaos and revolution. Man could live rational and free by nature, but if where are living in the group or society, we need as a set of institutionalized form of control such as laws, that will our protect and preserve our “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.” In order, to balance the competing the interest, institutions are created for fair and justifiable lifestyle. But in the modern world, as there is the existence of society such as state, must need institutional form of control.

Reference:

1) Curtis, Michael (1976) The Great Political Theories V2. Haper Collins.

2) Santiago, Miriam Deffennsor (2003) History of Philosophy: The Great Political Thinkers (Philosphy Series, Vol 1) Central Professional Books, Inc: Quezon City

3) Eisenstein, Great Political Thinkers

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