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What are our obligations as citizens? How does liberalism, as presented by Locke and Kant, view our obligations?

Liberalism is largely based on the idea that all men are free, but with that freedom comes a certain set of obligations. While each culture varies on the nature of those obligations, there are some basic obligations that all citizens are believed to possess according to the philosophies of Kant and Locke.


According to the philosophy of John Locke, all men are entitled to pursue life, liberty and property. With those rights come general obligations...

Liberalism is largely based on the idea that all men are free, but with that freedom comes a certain set of obligations. While each culture varies on the nature of those obligations, there are some basic obligations that all citizens are believed to possess according to the philosophies of Kant and Locke.


According to the philosophy of John Locke, all men are entitled to pursue life, liberty and property. With those rights come general obligations that apply to all citizens as well as specialized obligations that must be undertaken voluntarily. Locke believed that those obligations came into effect when one willingly became part of a society and implicitly consented to the rules of that society. For example, Locke believed that resident aliens have an obligation to obey the laws of the states in which they reside and that those who inherit property have the obligation to obey the rules of the commonwealth in which that property is located.


Like most liberal philosophers, Locke also believed that all citizens have the responsibility of preserving the basic rights and others. For example, citizens are entitled to maintain their own property and obligated not to infringe on the rights of another citizen to own his or her own property. Unlike other liberal philosophers, most of Locke's writings indicate a belief that one only gains political obligations, such as the obligation to vote or become active in political processes, after actively consenting to join a political system. All of Locke's beliefs regarding the obligations of citizens were based on rationality.


Kant's beliefs on the obligations of citizens were similar to Locke's in their basis in rationality, but Kant's moral framework was more in depth. Kant believed that there were two primary types of obligation, including obligations that citizens opt into by being part of a city or township and inherent obligation that cannot be opted out of. This second type of obligation was considered to be a moral duty inherent to all citizens. According to Kant, this moral duty presents all citizens to act in accordance with the way they would expect another reasonable citizen to act.


To summarize, both Locke and Kant believed that citizens possess obligations they can opt into as well as inherent moral obligations that must be followed regardless of membership to any political group. While Locke was more specific as to the nature of these obligations, focusing on the obligation of citizens to follow local rules and ordinances, Kant expanded upon this idea by discussing the general fundamental principles of human obligation, such as acting with goodwill towards other citizens.

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