Forced obedience to absolute power is worse than the state of nature

Evidence

Absolute arbitrary power, or governing without settled standing laws, can neither of them consist with the ends of society and government, which men would not quit the freedom of the state of nature for, and tie themselves up under, were it not to preserve their lives, liberties and fortunes, and by stated rules of right and property to secure their peace and quiet. It cannot be supposed that they should intend, had they a power so to do, to give to any one, or more, an absolute arbitrary power over their persons and estates, and put a force into the magistrate’s hand to execute his unlimited will arbitrarily upon them. This were to put themselves into a worse condition than the state of nature, wherein they had a liberty to defend their right against the injuries of others, and were upon equal terms of force to maintain it, whether invaded by a single man, or many in combination. Whereas by supposing they have given up themselves to the absolute arbitrary power and will of a legislator, they have disarmed themselves, and armed him, to make a prey of them when he pleases; he being in a much worse condition, who is exposed to the arbitrary power of one man, who has the command of 100,000, than he that is exposed to the arbitrary power of 100,000 single men; no body being secure, that his will, who has such a command, is better than that of other men, though his force be 100,000 times stronger. — John Locke, Second Treatise of Government, 170

Categorization

• XREF: The ‘worse than the state of nature’ argument is exactly the calculus the Declaration mirrors when it authorizes revolution once government becomes destructive of ends. — connects to: Obedience has caused more hideous crimes than rebellion has; Obedience to authority has enabled more atrocities than outright rebellion has — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 405; Obedience against conscience requires a single monopolistic source of authority without rivals — Zygmunt Bauman, Modernity and the Holocaust, 468

Related

• Obedience against conscience requires a single monopolistic source of authority without rivals (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Obedience has caused more hideous crimes than rebellion has #corroborates (0.95)
• Obedience to authority has enabled more atrocities than outright rebellion has #corroborates (0.95) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 405
• Obedience against conscience requires a single monopolistic source of authority without rivals #expands (0.75) — Zygmunt Bauman, Modernity and the Holocaust, 468