Q&A Social Contract 2

Locke describes the state of nature as a condition where natural rights exist even before government. How does this differ fundamentally from Hobbes’ version?

• Locke’s state of nature is marked by reason and recognition of rights, where humans are capable of cooperation, while Hobbes’ state of nature is marked by chaos, fear, and constant struggle for survival.

• Locke and Hobbes both describe the state of nature as violent and insecure, but Locke argues that only religious morality prevents chaos while Hobbes attributes it to coercive sovereign power.

• Locke sees the state of nature as an equal condition where people live under divine law but without mechanisms of enforcement, while Hobbes sees it as a condition of natural hierarchy where the strong dominate the weak.

• Locke believes the state of nature is sustained by community solidarity, whereas Hobbes believes it is stabilized by local lords and guilds that balance violence with protection.

Why does Locke insist that rights to life, liberty, and property exist even before government?

• Because these rights are derived from divine command and human reason, making them inherent and inalienable, unlike privileges granted by rulers or laws.

• Because rights depend on the sovereign’s authority and only exist once a political community enacts them into enforceable law.

• Because Locke wanted to emphasize that human rights must be negotiated within society and do not exist until they are formalized through contracts.

• Because natural rights are created by money and commerce, making them historical rather than natural entitlements.

How does Locke justify private property in a world originally given to all in common?

• By arguing that property arises when individuals mix their labor with natural resources, thereby transforming them into their own without needing anyone’s consent.

• By insisting that governments must assign property rights through legislation, because without laws there can be no valid ownership.

• By claiming that property can only be valid if granted through community consensus and preserved by collective approval.

• By suggesting that ownership comes from divine allotment, where God directly assigns different lands and resources to families and tribes.

What is Locke’s natural limit on property acquisition known as “Locke’s Proviso”?

• That one may only take what can be used without waste and must leave enough resources for others, ensuring fairness and preventing harmful hoarding.

• That property belongs equally to all until government divides it, preventing ownership until civil laws are passed.

• That ownership is valid only if sanctioned by religious authorities and consistent with divine law.

• That property must be distributed equally by rulers, so accumulation beyond basic needs is unjustified.

Why does the introduction of money fundamentally alter Locke’s limits on property?

• Because money does not spoil, allowing individuals to accumulate unlimited property and wealth through trade, exchange, and labor of others, thereby creating inequality.

• Because money is issued by governments and thus invalidates natural property rights by making ownership dependent on the state.

• Because money reinforces Locke’s Proviso by ensuring that wealth circulates fairly and cannot be hoarded indefinitely.

• Because money equalizes society, making everyone capable of securing the same level of property and eliminating inequality.

Why do people leave the state of nature and form civil society according to Locke?

• Because although natural rights exist, they are insecure without an impartial authority to resolve disputes and protect property, prompting people to establish a government.

• Because people cannot exercise natural rights at all in the state of nature, making government necessary to create rights.

• Because inequality and social class make life unbearable in the state of nature, forcing people to create a ruling aristocracy.

• Because divine law directly commands humans to unite under monarchs who rule with absolute authority.

What does Locke mean by describing government as a “trustee of the people”?

• The government holds power conditionally, limited to protecting rights, and if it breaches this trust, citizens may resist and replace it.

• The government is like a parent entrusted with unlimited authority to guide subjects, whose duty is permanent obedience.

• The government is the sole owner of property and natural rights, entrusted to distribute them as it sees fit.

• The government is entrusted by divine mandate to enforce religious morality, regardless of people’s consent.

In what situation does Locke argue that the people are justified in resisting or overthrowing their government?

• When the government systematically fails to protect life, liberty, and property, thereby violating the trust on which its authority depends.

• Whenever people disagree with the outcome of elections or feel dissatisfied with political leaders.

• When economic inequality increases beyond the community’s ability to redistribute wealth fairly.

• Whenever a rival foreign power promises a more efficient or prosperous form of governance.

Which provision of the 1987 Philippine Constitution most directly reflects Locke’s principle of government by consent?

• The Preamble’s declaration, “We, the sovereign Filipino people...” which asserts that all political authority derives from the people’s collective will.

• The Bill of Rights, which enumerates the protections of life, liberty, and property against state intrusion.

• The separation of powers clause, which divides government into three branches.

• The recognition of property rights in Article XII, which balances private ownership with equitable access.

Which event in Philippine history most vividly illustrates Locke’s doctrine of the right to revolution?

• The People Power Revolution of 1986, where citizens peacefully withdrew consent from a government that had violated their rights and replaced it with a new constitutional order.

• The ratification of the 1935 Constitution, where Filipinos created a new government under American sovereignty.

• The martial law period under Ferdinand Marcos, where government exercised emergency powers in the name of order.

• The 1991 Local Government Code, which decentralized power to local governments to make governance more efficient.