Explain how Locke justified inequality and even war against indigenous populatio

Question

Explain how Locke justified inequality and even war against indigenous populations based on his conception of industriousness

Explain how surplus value (or profit) under capitalism is nothing more than theft (unpaid labor) from the worker. Specifically: explain how the capitalist makes a profit from labor that is performed but never paid for.

Explain why the working class is the revolutionary class in capitalist society. (“revolutionary class: the class with the potential to carry out a revolutionary transformation of society.)

Explanation / Answer

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. Also, I have stuck to sources in order to stick to the proper nature of Locke’s views and avoid my personal views.

(Answer) (1) Explain how Locke justified inequality and even war against indigenous populations based on his conception of industriousness

“Industriousness and rationality in Locke’s sense is associated with enclosing and improving the land for production of, and trade in, cash crops. The underestimation of Indians’ lack in the industriousness and rationality in the sense of commercial and money economy is the characteristic of Locke’s argument on the right of land acquisition in the name of natural law.” (Source: John Locke and the Native Americans – Early English Liberalism and Its Colonial Reality by Nagamitsu Miura)

Therefore, it can be observed that John Locke put economic growth and capitalism above equality and the rights of an indigenous population.

(2) Explain how surplus value (or profit) under capitalism is nothing more than theft (unpaid labor) from the worker. Specifically: explain how the capitalist makes a profit from labor that is performed but never paid for.

If one considers the semantics of profit, it is when we obtain goods for a value that is lower than its designated value. Similarly, when we talk about a surplus value or profit in terms of labour work, we are getting more work done at a price that is lesser than it should be.

When we purchase something at a discounted rate, we usually earn the discount by paying for membership, buying in bulk to earn a rebate, buying outdated goods at a lesser value than the newer goods or paying less in exchange for continued patronage. However, these clauses don’t matter in terms of labour or human hard work. That is why it is equated with theft.

(3) Explain why the working class is the revolutionary class in capitalist society. (“revolutionary class: the class with the potential to carry out a revolutionary transformation of society.)

According to Karl Marx, the upper class is the land-owners and the lower-class is the labourers. The upper-class will have less to pay in the form of taxes labour and more to gain in the form of land produce. The lower-class, are the labourers, will work all their lives and never really be able to afford a position of privilege. This is the more dissatisfied class that has more to fight for as compared to the privileged upper-class. Therefore, according to the philosophy of Karl Marx, the working class is more likely to be revolutionaries.

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