John Locke Inherently Good Analysis

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For centuries, people have wondered what lies in the heart of humanity: good or evil. The dictionary defines good as “morally excellent” or “righteous,” and evil as “immoral.” Good is normally seen as selflessness and acting with consideration. On the other hand, evil can be tied to selfishness and greed. With few exceptions, humans are inherently good and show these characteristics naturally. This can be seen through the philosophy of John Locke, the writings of William Golding, and random acts of kindness in today's society. The European Enlightenment brought new and different ideas from many philosophes. Arguably one of the most known and influential of these is John Locke. He was born in 1632 in England and was raised in a Christian household.…show more content…
He thought life before society was equal and free. To him, the English Civil War showed how a central government was not good for society and that a democratic government would be much more effective. He argued against absolutism and the divine right of kings because he thought it was unnecessary. He claims that humans know not to harm each other. A central part of his argument is that humans are born with the ability to reason, meaning they know right from wrong, good from evil. He states that with this ability to reason, “being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions.” Humans are born with a sense of morality and choose to protect the natural rights of themselves and…show more content…
He was born in England in 1911 and is the author of the novel Lord of the Flies. Part of his work was influenced by the young boys he taught. In addition, the six years of his life spent in the Navy during World War II added to his beliefs of humanity. Lord of the Flies takes place during a hypothetical World War III. During this, a group of young boys, the oldest around 12 and the youngest around six or seven, crash onto a deserted island and are left alone to fend for themselves. They form a civilization, with a leader, Ralph, and hunters, who are lead by Jack. Piggy, a bit of an outcast, clings to Ralph for protection from the other boys. Jack tries to take over control of the boys, and constantly disagrees and argues with Ralph. Eventually, the lack of proper civilization forces the boys become out of control and collectively kill Simon, mistaking him for the “beast” that lurks the island. In the end, the boys break off into two groups, Jack and the hunters, and Ralph and the rump of his group. Jack goes to extreme measures to capture or kill Ralph and his followers, killing Piggy in the process, and as a result, accidently gets the attention of the navy and rescues the
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