Investigating Locke - Divine Servitude

For my task, I analysed the works of Locke and his views on Divine Servitude and its appropriate relevance when looking at paid work as voluntary servitude.

Locke's works focus on the ideas that man is not bound by the bondage of money or material possessions since he is free to do with what he likes because of the ability of thought and rationale given to him by a higher power. If there is any restriction to this it is reflected in his Creator/Creature ideologue; that the only person that has the ability to restrict man's freedom is God:

"The only external limit to reasonable usage of human freedom springing from this relationship of Creator to creature consists in the fact that man, as the property of God, has been created to last as long as the Creator wishes and not according to his own good will and pleasure. That is the reason why man is not free to dispose either of his life or of the life of others, even if he has the desire, power and opportunity to do so.”

Polin, R. (1969) John Locke’s conception of freedom. In. Yolton, J.W. (1969) John Locke: Problems and Perspectives: A collection of new essays. Cambridge University Press: London, p.6-7.

This is an important idea when it comes to asking and answering the question: "Paid work is voluntary servitude" because in Locke's view Man is free to do as he chooses; only restricted by his service to God (i.e. praying and keeping within the boundaries of religion). Locke further argues that if a man was bound by servitude then how would this be possible with the abilities of the mind and thought:

“For Locke, freedom is a mode of power, power being in itself a simple idea which is given to us through sensation as well as through reflection: do we not observe within ourselves that we ‘can’ think, that we ‘can’ move parts of the body at will?”

Polin, R. (1969) John Locke’s conception of freedom. In. Yolton, J.W. (1969) John Locke: Problems and Perspectives: A collection of new essays. Cambridge University Press: London, p.1.

With his perspectives, it shall be possible to provide a suitable counter argument to the question posed: that man is free to choose his liberty with thought and rationale, although he is not able to choose his destiny since it is determined by the Creator (in this case, God). That is the only aspect that he cannot control, so it could be argued that paid work is not voluntary servitude since man is free to make this decision and not coerced in anyway.

I shall also be investigating the Sexual Contract by Carol Pateman to compare other views of servitude by woman to men, patriarchy and other themes in this particular presentation.