Matalibul Furqan 5

consent. But this is neither logical nor is it true. The fact that a million

people consent to an act which is wrong, does not make it any the less

wrong. If^ words have any meaning, the rightfulness of any

government's authority depends on its objects and on the way in which

it is exercised. A will ought to prevail only if it is a good will; but this is

dependent not upon whose will it is but upon its content.(19)

X. Moral Standard

Prof. Cobban has proposed "Moral values" as the standard for
judging right and wrong, instead of the majority vote. Locke calls it
an "immutable" or "natural law." We quote from Mabbott:
There is an immutable law governing the just relations between man
and man, independently of any society or state to which they may
belong. This natural law would serve like natural rights as a limitation
on the absolute rule of governments, however constituted and
whatever other ends they may pursue.(20)

XI. Locke's Mistake

Locke put his trust in Natural Law, to guide aright. He argued that
people followed the Natural Law as long as they lived naturally and
were without culture and civilisation. At this time reason was their
guide, and not sentiment. Later on, they were guided by sentiment
and ceased to live in accordance with the Natural Law. The revival
and enforcement of Natural Law was what society needed now. But
when we ask how this Natural Law can be discovered, Locke refers
us to the "will of the majority." Here he seems to be arguing in a
circle. The decision of the majority is right if it conforms to the
Natural Law, and the Natural Law is manifested only in the will of
the majority. Natural Law cannot, therefore, serve as an objective
standard for judging the actions of a nation. When Locke sees a
government acting unjustly he cries out "a government has no right
to thrust its will on the people; it must conform to the immutable
law of nature." However, when he is asked to specify the source of
the Natural Law, he can think of nothing better than the will of the
majority. This looks like "seeking protection from rain by standing
under the roof gutter." The result was just the reverse of what he
thought. His idea was to free mankind from the shackles of ever-

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