Political Philosophy

Political Philosophy

Paper Topic:

Locke contends that a state can have no powers except those that private persons have in a state of nature and transfer to the state. Rousseau denies that people have fully developed rights in a state of nature. They have possession, but not property in a state of nature, and natural liberty in a state of nature, but enjoy civil liberty under the social contract.  Explain Rousseau’s distinction and his argument for it.  How would Locke respond?  Who has the better of the argument?

Directions:The paper should 900 words.

A Note on Quotations: Your task is to explain Locke and Rousseau’s arguments in your own words. You should not include more than 15 words of quotation from either.

A Note on Outside Sources: You are not required to use outside sources for this paper. Indeed, you are actively discouraged from doing so. A paper that contains discussions of the secondary literature will not have succeeded at the assigned task

A Note on Plagiarism: plagiarism is an extremely serious academic offense, as it cuts against the core of the University’s mission of teaching and research. The university has extremely strict policies on plagiarism, which can be found in its Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters.  I do not enjoy implementing those policies, but always do so when I have to.  The best way to avoid plagiarism is by using your own ideas, and meticulously identifying any other sources on which you have relied. You are free to discuss the paper topic with your classmates and friends, and you do not need to cite everything that you draw on from class lectures. See the handout “How Not to Plagiarize” on the Course Website. Please note also that papers prepared by the so-called “Custom Essay Writing Services” which advertise on utility poles and parking meters around campus are particularly easy to detect, and that in many cases students caught using them have been permanently expelled from the University on a first offense.