In his theory, that is largely considered a theory of social contrast, john Locke considers the law of nature as a reason, and he argues that a reason is guided by moral knowledge. His postulation is that human beings are born with knowledge, and thus, they should exercise moral knowledge to reason in all circumstances. Peace and goodness, according to Locke, comes through reasoning. He brings out the argument that people are not supposed to harm, or use one another. This paper discusses the moral reason as brought out by Locke on various aspects.

John Locke discussed equality among human beings and argued that all human beings are equal. In relation to equality, Locke’s moral reason advocates for freedom for all people. His concern was on the exercise of political jurisdiction by the ruling class, where some people are considered better than the others (Rawls and Herman 2009, 122). Instead, Locke considers that no human being is superior to the other. In regard to reason and equality, Locke argues that people have equal access to reason. This entitles everyone to exercise their reasoning to their advantage. He considers that this is a natural law, and it cannot be limited by any human being. Further, in preservation and existence, people have equal rights. This also applies clearly to the execution of the law of nature. John Locke argues that all people have equal rights towards the execution of the law provided by nature.

In line with moral reasoning, Locke agrees that the citizenry of a country have an obligation to obey, and also respect the laws of the state (Locke 2002, 132). He also draws out that, it is out of moral reasoning, that people establish a system of judgment that is mandated to deal with disputes among human beings. In regard to freedom, tact and explicit consent, Locke presupposes that human beings are at liberty to make a decision. Whatever society a person decides to follow, it is based on their natural freedom to choose as such.

Concerning property and moral reasoning, Locke considered that a government or civil society’s end is the preservation of people’s property. He first considered the “property in the person”, and argued that it is defined by natural law (Tully 1982, 120). He argued that it is connected to theindividual’s right to live. According to him, the right to property is inalienable from the person owning the property. Locke extends this natural right to ownership of goods and services. He postulates that, since the human being labors for this property, and then the natural right to ownership is automatically extended to their ownership.

Concerning a punishment and moral reason, John Locke considered that a law is made with penalties. He sees his theory on punishment as a strange theory, since he argues that only the sovereign class has the right to punish (Locke 1997, 301). He connected the law made by man to the law of nature. Considering the two, the law of nature has provided freedom that is violated through punishment for violation of the law of man. This is how punishment occurs, according to John Locke. In regard to government and separation of powers, John Locke supported the principle of power separation. In this, he argued that it is reasonable for the legislative power to check the exercise of the force of the commonwealth. This is exemplified in his letter on toleration. He argues that the government should not force people into subscribing into a particular religion. If the government attempts to do this, it can be checked by the legislature.

Locke’s moral reason touches on many aspects of life. His theory is a social contrast one. He has good ideas on freedom, government, religion, toleration and power sharing. His moral reason revolves around the very aspect of human life.

Bibliography

Locke, John. 1997. Political essays. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Locke, John. 2002. Essays on the law of nature: Latin text with the translation, introduction and notes; Together with transcripts of Locke’s shorthand in his journal for 1676. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Rawls, John and Herman Barbara. 2009. Lectures on the history of moral philosophy. Harvard: Harvard University Press.

Tully, James. 1982. A discourse on property. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.