Natural Law :: essays research papers

Natural Law     The School of Natural Law Philosophy was an intellectual group ofphilosophers. They developed raw ways of thinking about religion and government.Natural law was based on moral principles, but the overall outlook changed withthe times.     John Locke was a neat philosopher from the middle of the 17th century.He was a primary contributor to the new ideas concerning natural law of thattime. He argued that humans in the state of nature ar free and equal, yetinsecure in their freedom. When they enter society, they surrender only suchrights as are necessary for their security and for the common good. He to a faultbelieved that each individual retains fundamental prerogatives drawn fromnatural law relating to the integrity of the person and property. This naturalrights theory was the basis of not only the American, but too the Frenchrevolution. 1 During his lifetime, he wrote many essays and letters to hiscolleagues on a variety o f topics2 Letter on toleration (1689) Second Letter on Toleration (1690) Two Treatises of Government (1690) Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690) approximately Considerations of the Consequences of Lowering of Interest,and Raising the Value of Money (1691) Third Letter on Toleration (1692) Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693) Further Considerations Concerning Raising the Value of Money (1693) The Reasonableness of Christianity (1695) A Vindication of the Reasonableness of Christianity (1695) A Second Vindication of the Reasonableness of Christianity (1695) A Letter to the Bishop of Worcester (1697) Discourse on Miracles Fourth Letter for Toleration An Examination of Father Malebranches Opinion of Seeing All Thingsin God Remarks on Some of Mr Norriss Books Conduct of the Understanding     Lockes greatest philosophical contribution is his Essay ConcerningHuman Understanding. In the winter of 1670, five or six friends were talking inhis room, believabl y in London. The topic was the "principles of morality andrevealed religion," but arguments arose and no real progress or seriousdiscussion took place. Then, he goes on to say, "it came into my thoughts thatwe took a wrong course, and that earlier we set ourselves upon inquiries of thatnature, it was necessary to examine our own abilities, and see what objects ourunderstandings were, or were not, fitted to deal with." At the request of hisfriends, Locke agreed to write down his thoughts on this question at their nextmeeting, and he expected that a single sheet of paper would suffice for thepurpose. Little did he realize the importance of the issue which he raised, andthat it would mint up his free time for nearly twenty years.