Environmental values and John Locke

Key texts: Two Treatises of Government, Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Reasonableness of Christianity

Locke’s Sense of the Self

¨ Newtonian

¨ experience and reason the keys to psychology

¨ you are unique because of what you do, what you experience, what you make

¨ central role of property

Locke’s Sense of Nature

¨ Virgin Resources Lie in Waste

¨ A philosophy of increase

¨ Nature has a maker; Property has a maker

¨ The Rational and Industrious

¨ natural processes, divine gifts of the natural world and human abilities

Locke’s Sense of the Social

¨ Accumulaters have something to defend…. And create governments

¨ Sovereign states a creation of people—government by consent of the governed

¨ Outside the state is the private world, where people choose what to do.

Locke’s background cosmology

¨ Consistent with natural law

¨ Christianity consistent with modern scientific reason, rational pursuits

¨ Stamp of legitimacy on capitalism—freedom part of God’s creation

¨ A theory of human well being