Karl Marx and John Locke both formulated philosophical theories that worked to convince people of their rights to freedom and power; however, they had conflicting views on the idea of ​​private property. Locke believed that property belonged to anyone who devoted their labor to it, and that one could accumulate as much property as one wanted (692). Marx, however, considered the private property of the select few who owned it as the product of the exploitation of the working class (1118). Personally, I believe that Locke's conception of private property is more convincing than Marx's view. In Locke's Second Treatise on Government, he sets out his vision of private property. He states that the earth belongs to all men in common, yet each man has possession of his own body. Since he has possession of his body, he also has possession of the work of his body. Therefore, what he employs his labor in also becomes his property. Therefore, private property is what one has put one's labor into (692). Locke believes that even though God gave the land to all humans, he did not want the land to remain fallow. Instead, Locke says that God “has given it to the use of the industrious and rational” (693). Locke felt that uncultivated land would be wasted, and by “waste” Locke meant that which has little or no benefit. Initially, Locke says that it is not possible to accumulate and own as much property as one wants. They can only keep what they can use, and any excess is considered waste. If someone accumulates property that he cannot use, he prevents other people from actually using that property (693). However, an exception is made when money creation enters... the middle of the paper... it is because if everyone, no matter how much effort they put in, were given the same amount of property, people would naturally stop working hard since they would not it would be of no benefit to them. If people stopped working hard, the entire success of our society would gradually slide into decline, as people would not compete and try to outdo each other. Competition among humans is vital for motivating technological advances, artistic ideas, and industrious innovations. Therefore, if people do not compete to propose new ideas, social progress will stop. Both Marx's and Locke's ideals are revolutionary and concern human freedom. However, Locke believes that every human being is an individual and not simply another member of the community, which is a crucial detail to consider when talking about the natural rights of human beings..