I wanted use this post to reiterate something that I pointed out in class about the forfeiture of life in the state of war. It is the forfeiture of life, I think, that only allows conquerers access to one's body for slavery. But what constitutes a forfeiture of life?
Locke explicitly states that “It is the unjust use of force the, that puts a man into the state of war with another; and thereby he that is guilty of it makes a forfeiture of his life” (181). However, this sounds as if it is purely the man that unjustly initiates this state of war, not the other man that chooses to engage in the action. By this, only one side has chosen to forfeit their lives to the other but not vice versa.
Therefore, my true question is, by what law would the side that did not forfeit its life be forced to become a slave to the other if it loses the war? Have I missed a passage that covers this?
No comments:
Post a Comment