Of Nature, Property, and Value

John Locke does not directly address in the text whether human nature is good or bad; however he does indicate his thoughts on the nature of men through his ideas on the state of Nature and the ideal government. In the state of Nature, Locke acknowledges that a human’s ability to punish others for various infractions to their liberty could escalate into chaos very quickly. One cannot gauge how violent a punishment may become. Therefore, he realizes that man’s nature is capable of being both good, if people were to treat others the way they wish to be treated, and bad, in that each individual has the ability to wrong others or overly punish them. Furthermore, Locke attest that a government run by the majority will not only keep the freedoms given by the state of Nature but also guarantee security to the people so they will be protected from those who are of a corrupt nature.
In his writings on property, Locke believes that there is an abundance of resources. He feels that as long as man only claims the amount of land that they are capable of using, there will be “enough in the world to suffice double of the inhabitants” (17). Only when money is involved, does Locke feel that the abundance of the earth’s land is threatened. With money, a man can claim more land than is necessary for their amount of labor; thus, taking land from other men who would otherwise use it. Locke also believes that there is not much inherent value in the land or earth. Although he writes that the land is useful in that it provides food for gathering, he also claims that the more labor used to cultivate the land, the more valuable the land becomes. Thus, land that has not been cultivated is a “waste” of land, for it will not benefit man as much in its natural state.