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Single Idea 19929

[filed under theme 25. Social Practice / C. Rights / 3. Alienating rights ]

Full Idea

People have never given up their right and transferred their power to another in such a way that they did not fear the very persons who received their right and power, and put the government at greater risk from its own citizens than from its enemies.

Gist of Idea

Everyone who gives up their rights must fear the recipients of them

Source

Baruch de Spinoza (Tractatus Theologico-Politicus [1670], 17.01)

Book Ref

Spinoza,Benedict de: 'Theological-Political Treatise', ed/tr. Israel,Jonathan [CUP 2007], p.208

A Reaction

I take this idea to be Rousseau's key motivation for the idea of the general will, because you are there supposed to be alienating your natural rights to yourself (sort of). In a democracy you alienate them partly to yourself.

The 15 ideas with the same theme [people's choice to give up some rights]:

2369 If we seek peace and defend ourselves, we must compromise on our rights [Hobbes]
19918 Forming a society meant following reason, and giving up dangerous appetites and mutual harm [Spinoza]
19919 People only give up their rights, and keep promises, if they hope for some greater good [Spinoza]
19921 Once you have given up your rights, there is no going back [Spinoza]
19925 In democracy we don't abandon our rights, but transfer them to the majority of us [Spinoza]
19928 No one, in giving up their power and right, ceases to be a human being [Spinoza]
19929 Everyone who gives up their rights must fear the recipients of them [Spinoza]
19932 The early Hebrews, following Moses, gave up their rights to God alone [Spinoza]
19873 We all own our bodies, and the work we do is our own [Locke]
19884 There is only a civil society if the members give up all of their natural executive rights [Locke]
19794 If we all give up all of our rights together to the community, we will always support one another [Rousseau]
7241 In society man loses natural liberty, but gains a right to civil liberty and property [Rousseau]
19806 We alienate to society only what society needs - but society judges that, not us [Rousseau]
21084 In the contract people lose their rights, but immediately regain them, in the new commonwealth [Kant]
21065 You can't make a contract renouncing your right to make contracts! [Kant]