John Locke's Definition Of Property

Locke’s definition of property does not only include physical goods but also encompasses human rights such as the “right to life and liberty”. Under a system of restricted government the state would have minimal intervention with issues relating to personal liberties and would be constitutionally prevented from doing so. The ideal system under which governments could protect the human rights or legal rights of individuals would be an interventionist system under which the government would not be completely confined by constitution but rather would be more able to flexibly adapt to accommodate changing social values and reflect those values in the rights extended to its citizens. However through most of Locke’s writing it is clear that Locke conceptualises property as primarily relating to physical goods or possessions. Locke could either regards property rights as a weaker or less defined natural right than more fundamental (and perhaps more …show more content…
The protection of property is the chief justification of government for Locke, and the nature of that government is as crucial as the property it protects ‘If government through taxation, possessed the power to expropriate property, citizens were entitled to protect themselves through controlling the composition of the tax-setting body; the legislature’. (Heywood, 1997: 71) Therefore Locke argued that a democratically elected government was the only truly legitimate form of government as it protected our natural rights upon which he argued rested the right to vote. However Locke did not believe in ubiquitous enfranchisement as he asserted that only property owners should have the right to vote as only ‘they had the natural rights that governments could infringe’ (Heywood, 1997: