Frequently Searched

John Locke and Ayn Rand’s Conceptions of Freedom

March 1, 2022

March 1, 2022

The English political philosopher John Locke is widely regarded as the philosophical godfather of the American Revolution. His ideas of natural rights and limited government—most famously expressed in his Two Treatises of Civil Government—helped shape how people like Thomas Jefferson and John Adams viewed the role of government and individual freedom in the new nation. Some two centuries later, the writer and philosopher Ayn Rand advanced similar arguments about the sanctity of the individual and the importance of constitutionally limited government.

How do Locke and Rand’s ideas overlap? Where do they differ?

That will be the subject of a presentation by Goldwater’s Timothy Sandefur on March 10 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. The presentation—part of a series starting March 3 and sponsored by the Objective Standard Institute—will look at how Locke and Rand’s personal backgrounds affected their views of freedom, how their understanding of human nature differed from those of the political philosophers whom they disagreed with, and how their theories of individual rights, democracy, private property, and other matters differed from each other. The presentations are online and participation costs $297, but scholarships are available for students under 29, and Goldwater Institute supporters can receive a discount by using the discount code “Goldwater25”.

You can sign up here.

 

 

More on this issue

Donate Now

Help all Americans live freer, happier lives. Join the Goldwater Institute as we defend and strengthen freedom in all 50 states.

Donate Now

Since 1988, the Goldwater Institute has been in the liberty business — defending and promoting freedom, and achieving more than 400 victories in all 50 states. Donate today to help support our mission.

We Protect Your Rights

Our attorneys defend individual rights and protect those who cannot protect themselves.

Need Help? Submit a case.

Get Connected to Goldwater

Sign up for the latest news, event updates, and more.

Wait! Don’t close this yet!

We are grateful for your support of the Goldwater Institute’s efforts to advance and defend liberty throughout the United States. For over 36 years, we’ve been defending the rights of Americans to live their lives free from government interference.

And Goldwater is unique in that we direct our efforts to the 50 states where we introduce and advance innovative ideas that expand freedom. And we fight in courtrooms and capitals nationwide to defend individual liberty.

In 2024 alone, we scored over 50 policy and litigation victories defending liberty!

And that’s just the beginning.

Our plans for 2025 include:

  • Stopping pernicious DEI and other woke programs in America’s universities.
  • Ensuring that patients suffering from rare and terminal diseases have access to cutting-edge, lifesaving medical treatments, without having to first seek permission from the government.
  • Defending parental rights across the United States so that parents can send their kids to the school that best fits their needs, free from leftist indoctrination.
  • Eliminating government interference in the fundamental right of individuals to own property and use it as they see fit.
  • And much, much more

We seek to restore the presumption of liberty; that people are free to act without first asking permission from the government.

But we cannot do this without you. Will you join us as we fight to preserve and advance liberty throughout the country? As we seek new and innovative ways to defend freedom in all 50 states?

And there’s great news: Thanks to a generous Goldwater supporter, your donation today will be doubled!

So please, join us in fighting to advance liberty and score real wins for freedom from coast to coast!