It is often said that our only constant is change. Things are always changing and in flux. This semester we have read two theorists of change. John Locke outlined a radical liberal vision of individual rights, rights of rebellion, and toleration that were perhaps most forcefully manifested in the American and French revolutions (momentous events that marked tremendous political and philosophical changes in the modern world). Edmund Burke warned against the dangers of rapid or radical change and advocated measured pragmatism while embracing the wisdom of tradition.
In this essay, I’d like you to compare and contrast these two thinkers and their reflections on change. More specifically, how does John Locke’s vision of individual rights, toleration, rights of rebellion, and the right to appropriate nature with our labor square with Edmund Burke’s reaction to the revolutionary upheavals in 18th century France, his opinions on the American Revolution, his attitude towards tradition, common sense, and his wariness of philosophical systems?
