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The Civil State In John Locke’s Political Philosophy: Its Relevance To Nigerian Democracy
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Aristotle also in the ancient period
stated that the state is natural to man. As he is quoted by Stumpf, “it
is evident that the state is a creature of nature and that man is by
nature a political animalâ€8. This made him to state that “he who is
unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient
for himself, must be either a beast or a godâ€9. The state for him
exists for an end, and this end is the supreme good of man. This means
that, “the state comes into existence for the bare end of life, but it
continues in existence for the sake of good life….â€10
Thomas Aquinas
in the medieval era viewed the state as a natural society, which has at
its disposal the necessary means for attaining its end, which is the
common good of the people. For him “… the government of the state is
instituted to secure the necessary conditions of the common goodâ€11.
This means that,
The state’s function is to secure that common good
by keeping the peace, organizing the activities of the citizens in
harmonious pursuit, providing for the resources to sustain life, and
preventing as far as possible, obstacles to the good of lifeâ€12.
Hooker
a renaissance period thinker whose teaching had much influence on John
Locke, viewed the emergence of the state as a natural inclination in man
to live in society, and this is only achieved by common agreement of
the individuals involved. This according to Copleston means that “the
establishment of civil government thus rests upon consent, without which
there was no reason that one man should take upon him to lord or judge
over anotherâ€13.
Furthermore, in the modern era, Hobbes according to
M. Sibley in his book, Political Ideas and Ideologies, viewed the
emergence of the civil state as,
When men contract with one another
to leave the state of nature, they then enter civil society where the
equality of nature gives way to subordination to the ruler14.
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