Locke: State of Nature & the New World | Philosophy Tube

The Enlightenment philosophy of John Locke made America and Canada what they are today, and helped forge the British Empire too. History reveals a tale of racism, colonialism, and First Nation genocide; of law, politics, property, and land. The legacy of “the State of Nature.”

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Recommended Reading:

Thomas Hobbes, “Leviathan”
John Locke, “Two Treatises of Government”
Alexander Anievas & Kerem Nisancioglu, “How the West Came to Rule”
Adam Ferguson, “An Essay on the History of Civil Society”
James Tully, Rediscovering America
“Drumbeat: Anger and Renewal in Indian Country,” edited by Boyce Richardson

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[trucommander]

I come from an indigenous community of the United States of America and I am honored that you covered this topic. My Diné tribe had their own philosophy and education, however, that way of life diminished after years of conflict with the Spanish, Mexican, and American government. But, it brings me joy that a non-native demonstrated this problem in philosophy and encourages for better philosophy. As a philosopher and indigenous member of the United States of America you have my support.

[timaa.]

Thank you for calling out the Canadian government. They're not so nice as they'd like to seem, at least to the First Nations people.

[MrMarsFargo]

As an indigenous person, I appreciate that you made an episode dedicated to indigenous philosophy. It always makes me angry how many neo-liberals in the humanities have been very careful telling me -- to my face -- that we didn't have culture, language, government, or technology. No, we had, it's just that all evidence of it was destroyed by colonialism. So any verbal preservation of it is valuable, and I thank you for contributing to that.

[katherinemorelle]

And in the next century, the State of Nature idea was used to justify the declaring of Australia as “terra nullius”- empty land. While Terra Nullius was officially sort of overturned by the Australian High Court in the early 1990s, we’ve had ministers and even prime ministers who have declared that Australia was an empty land before British “settlement”. They also refuse to acknowledge that it wasn’t a settlement so much as an invasion.

And while the High Court overturned the legal fiction of Terra Nullius, they didn’t go so far as to actually change much in terms of the land being owned by the Crown- which is why Indigenous Australians attempting to have Native Title recognised have to jump through flaming hoops to prove not only that they previously “owned” the land, but that the “ownership” has been continuous and unbroken. That’s a bit difficult to do when British invaders literally pushed most Indigenous people off their land. And if someone owns a modern Australian deed to the land, that is enough to extinguish any hope of native title- because the Indigenous nations haven’t then continuously “owned” that land. And even if they do get native title, they still have very few rights over that land- they can only perform traditional actions on that land, and cannot develop that land or use it to make money.

Also, I’ve continuously put “owned” in quotemarks because most Indigenous nations in Australia don’t recognise the ability of humans to own land. As far as they’re concerned, the land doesn’t belong to them, they belong to the land, and the idea that any one person can own such a thing is preposterous. It’s why many Aussies use the term “traditional caretakers” over traditional owners.

[cliffordsymons]

Hey! A little late to the party but wanted to make a quick comment on pronunciation.

The correct pronunciation is "Mig Maw". I only bring it up because the way you pronounced it, "mik mak", is used as a slur against the nation by white supremacist settlers. Unintentional on your part I'm sure, and it can be tricky because of how it's spelled. If it comes up again just take care with that one.

Love the channel. Thanks for everything you do.

[TheAgavi]

I have nothing of value to add but comments count as interaction in the youtube algorithm which might net you views so here is this comment.

[boltslater]

The idea of difference perceived as absence feels pretty relevant to me as an autistic person, because my disability is often thought of as "he can't read emotions, " or "he can't read body language, " as opposed to, "he has difficulty reading social cues and is skilled at abstract thinking."

[zennistrad]

Interestingly enough, the Iroquois Confederacy actually had a structure of governance that's much closer to anarchist principles than the principles of Western representative democracy.

It's not perfectly anarchist by any means, but the comparatively non-hierarchical structure of governance is somewhat similar to Murray Bookchin's idea of libertarian municipalism, which is a form of libertarian socialism closely related to anarchism.

[The_Rat_Bastard_]

these ideas physically hurt my heart

the fact that this happened and these cultures were lost and minipulated

[jacobdriscoll]

This is real good. Never made these connections before, but it makes a LOT of sense, and the impact of these ideas echoes through to today.

[MrSweetGsus]

Really good video, reminds us how important recognising historical context can be

[BeatBuddha]

I will be sorely disappointed if the "interdisciplinary" title card doesn't make regular appearances.

[deanrao]

It's good to hear someone question what it means for land to be considered "inhabited" and "usefully exploited".

[ramonveracruz]

When I took a political philosophy class, my professor also acknowledged that the state of nature which Hobbes, Mill, and Locke spoke of never "existed, " but you're explanation of it as "difference interpreted as absence" helped make that clear.

[highlordkiwi]

I've been reading The Art of Not Being Governed by James C. Scott and it talks about people living in the hills of SE Asia not being 'primitives' who have yet to discover the glories of the state but people who have chosen not to live in a state, a deliberate return to a State of Nature (it can't have been that bad, there was plenty of people flowing both into and out of the hills).
Not something you can do these days though.

[AandWLowell]

Olly, I believe you are misrepresenting Rousseau by lumping him in with Hobbes and Locke. Yes, Rousseau believed in a state of nature, but for him it was actually more equal than civilized society. There are concerns that Rousseau's idea of the "noble savage" is an equally problematic fetishizing of native peoples, but nevertheless it is markedly different from Hobbes', Locke's and others' state of nature. Do you recognize the distinction? Do you think that Rousseau's argument also enabled colonialism? Do you think it might have enabled it in a different way?

[philosophicsblog]

Rousseau may disagree.

"THE first man who, having enclosed a piece of ground, bethought himself of saying This is mine, and found people simple enough to believe him, was the real founder of civil society. From how many crimes, wars and murders, from how many horrors and misfortunes might not any one have saved mankind, by pulling up the stakes, or filling up the ditch, and crying to his fellows, "Beware of listening to this impostor; you are undone if you once forget that the fruits of the earth belong to us all, and the earth itself to nobody." But there is great probability that things had then already come to such a pitch, that they could no longer continue as they were; for the idea of property depends on many prior ideas, which could only be acquired successively, and cannot have been formed all at once in the human mind. Mankind must have made very considerable progress, and acquired considerable knowledge and industry which they must also have transmitted and increased from age to age, before they arrived at this last point of the state of nature. Let us then go farther back, and endeavour to unify under a single point of view that slow succession of events and discoveries in the most natural order." — JJ Rousseau, On the Origin of the Inequality of Mankind

[weirdnerdygoat]

I've went so far in watching Abi's videos I've reached pre-drama philosophy tube ;-;

[BigHenFor]

Love it when you go all interdisciplinary on us, Ollie especially as I'm dipping into a free online introductory course from Duke University on Political Economy where Chapter 5 of Locke's Second Treatise on Government "On Property" is a set text. Thanks!

[SitcomedyCD]

Pullin' them receipts on John Locke lol. Good video