10/19/2015

John Lockes Road to Serfdom | Jacobin

JohnLockes
RoadtoSerfdom
John Locke advocated for a world based on
expropriation, enslavement, and serfdom.

by John Quiggin

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/10/locke-classical-liberalism-treatise-nozick-constitution/

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https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/10/locke-classical-liberalism-treatise-nozick-constitution/

John Lockes Road to Serfdom | Jacobin

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John Lockes Road to Serfdom | Jacobin

Afewmonthsback,IlookedatthereasonswhyJohnLocke,often

regardedasthefounderofclassicalliberalism,advocated,and
personallybenefittedfrom,chattelslaveryintheAmericancolonies.
Iarguedthatthiswasnotamatterofpersonalhypocrisy:rather,
Lockesentiretheoreticalpositionconstitutesajustificationforthe
expropriationofNativeAmericansandtheenslavementofblack
Africans.
ThecontrastbetweenLockesreputationasanadvocateoffreedom
forEnglishmenandhissupportfortheenslavementand
expropriationofAfricansandNativeAmericanshascausedsometo
labelhimaracist.
ButLockewasmorethanasimplebigot.Notcontentwith
advocatingslaveryforblacks,Lockeproposedthereintroductionof
aformofserfdomforwhiteworkers.

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/10/locke-classical-liberalism-treatise-nozick-constitution/

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John Lockes Road to Serfdom | Jacobin

Astheexampleofslaveryshows,thereisastrikingincongruity
betweenLockespositioninEnglishpolitics,wherehewasaligned
withtheradicaldissentingsectionoftheuppermiddleclass,and
thatinAmerica,wherehesupported,andaspiredtojoin,the
Southernaristocracy.ThesamecontrastemergesinLockes
discussionoftherelationshipbetweenmastersandservants.
Inthelateseventeenthcentury,whenLockewrote,theterm
servantencompassedeveryonewhoworkedforwages,typically
underthedirectcontroloftheirmasters.Lockeonlymentions
servantsacoupleoftimesintheTreatise.Thefirstisinthe
Englishcontext,whereLockedescribesthestandardconditionsof
servicebutisatpainstodistinguishitfromslavery,notingthelimits
onthepowerofmastersandthefinitudeofservantscontracts:

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John Lockes Road to Serfdom | Jacobin

Masterandservantarenamesasoldashistory,butgivento
thoseoffardifferentcondition;forafreemanmakeshimself
aservanttoanother,bysellinghim,foracertaintime,the
serviceheundertakestodo,inexchangeforwagesheisto
receive:andthoughthiscommonlyputshimintothefamily
ofhismaster,andundertheordinarydisciplinethereof;yet
itgivesthemasterbutatemporarypoweroverhim,andno
greaterthanwhatiscontainedinthecontractbetween
them.Butthereisanothersortofservants,whichbya
peculiarnamewecallslaves,whobeingcaptivestakenina
justwar,arebytherightofnaturesubjectedtotheabsolute
dominionandarbitrarypoweroftheirmasters.Thesemen
having,asIsay,forfeitedtheirlives,andwithittheir
liberties,andlosttheirestates;andbeinginthestateof
slavery,notcapableofanyproperty,cannotinthatstatebe
consideredasanypartofcivilsociety;thechiefendwhereof
isthepreservationofproperty.

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John Lockes Road to Serfdom | Jacobin

ThisisofapiecewithLockesgenerallineofargumentagainstthe
monarchisttheoriesofSirJohnFilmer,downplayingthepowerof
thepaterfamilias,andthereforeofthemonarch.
Butevenmoreinterestingisthequestionofhowlandmightbe
appropriated.Lockescentralideaisthatownershipoflandis
acquiredthroughlabor,specificallyagriculturallabor.Inthe
Englishcontext,whereLockeisdefendinglong-established
propertyrights,thisisntmuchofaproblem.Theoriginal
acquisitionofthelandbytheancestorsofthecurrentownersislost
inamythicalpastwhere,presumably,AdamdelvedandEvespan.
Lockestheoryofpropertyinheritedfromajustacquisitionlocated
inamythicalpastisopentothesamederisionasLockehimself
deployedagainstFilmersattempttojustifymonarchicalpowerby
invokingAdamspatriarchalauthority.ButthisdidntworryLocke.
Nor,forthatmatter,doesitseemtoworrylatter-dayLockeanslike
RobertNozick.

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John Lockes Road to Serfdom | Jacobin

ButwhenusedasajustificationforexpropriatingNative
Americans,onthe(factuallyincorrect)basisthattheyweremere
hunter-gatherers,theideaofacquiringlandthroughagricultural
laborraisesaproblem.Lockewasntanagriculturallaborer,and
neitherwerehisreaders.HowweregentlemenlikeLocketoacquire
propertyifnotthroughlabor?
Lockessolution,relyingontherelationshipbetweenmasterand
servantissimple.Thelaborersareservants;inLockesanalysisthey
are,ineffect,humanlivestock.Hence,byextension,anyproperty
theyacquirebelongstotheirmasters:

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John Lockes Road to Serfdom | Jacobin

Weseeincommons,whichremainsobycompact,thatitis
thetakinganypartofwhatiscommon,andremovingitout
ofthestatenatureleavesitin,whichbeginstheproperty;
withoutwhichthecommonisofnouse.Andthetakingof
thisorthatpart,doesnotdependontheexpressconsentof
allthecommoners.Thusthegrassmyhorsehasbit;theturfs
myservanthascut;andtheoreIhavediggedinanyplace,
whereIhavearighttothemincommonwithothers,
becomemyproperty,withouttheassignationorconsentof
anybody.Thelabourthatwasmine,removingthemoutof
thatcommonstatetheywerein,hathfixedmypropertyin
them.[emphasisadded]

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John Lockes Road to Serfdom | Jacobin

Asatheoreticalsolution,addressedtoanEnglishaudience
consistingofmastersratherthanservants,thisanalysisworkswell
enough.Inactualpractice,whenappliedintheAmericas,therewas
anobviousproblem.Ifthereisplentyoflandavailablefor
appropriation,whyshouldanable-bodiedworkerdigitupfor
someoneelse,ratherthantakingitforthemselves?
InhisproposedConstitutionoftheCarolinas,Lockeaddressedthis
probleminhischaracteristicallybrutalfashion.Hesuggestedthe
creationofleetmenahereditaryclassoflandlesslaborers,tied
tospecificareas,andboundtoworkforthearistocraticowners.
Lockedidntreallyneedanewwordforthisinstitution.The
foundingfigureofclassicalliberalismwasproposing,literallyrather
thanmetaphorically,aroadtoserfdom.

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John Lockes Road to Serfdom | Jacobin

LikemostofLockesconstitutionalideas,theideaofserfdomdidnt
workintheAmericancontext.Whateverthelegalities,anywhite
Americanworkerdissatisfiedwithhisconditionscouldescapeand
disappearintothegeneralpopulation,orgowestandacquireland
expropriatedfromNativeAmericans.Theindenturedlaborsystem,
theearlyformofwhiteslaveryonwhichtheAmericancolonieswere
founded,brokedownforthisreason.Butitwastheonlywayin
whichLockestheoryofpropertycouldbereconciledwiththe
maintenanceoftheexistingclasssystem.
Thereis,then,noinconsistencybetweenLockestheoretical
positionandhispoliticalpracticeintheUnitedStates.Hisattempt
tocreateatheoryofpropertybasedonoriginalacquisition,while
defendingactually-existingpropertysystems,leadsinevitablyto
expropriation,enslavement,andserfdom.

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/10/locke-classical-liberalism-treatise-nozick-constitution/

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John Lockes Road to Serfdom | Jacobin

10.18.15
John Quiggin, an Australian economist, blogs at CrookedTimber.

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/10/locke-classical-liberalism-treatise-nozick-constitution/

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