Social Contract
Political authority derives from an agreement among individuals to form a society.
Overview
Social contract theory holds that legitimate political authority is not natural or divinely ordained but arises from an agreement — real or hypothetical — among individuals. People consent to surrender some freedoms in exchange for social order and the protection of their remaining rights. Different social contract thinkers reach very different conclusions: Hobbes argued for absolute sovereignty, Locke for limited government protecting natural rights, Rousseau for direct democracy guided by the general will, and Rawls for egalitarian principles chosen behind a 'veil of ignorance.'
Origins
Social contract theory emerged as an alternative to divine right monarchy. Hobbes, writing during the English Civil War, argued that without government, life would be 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short' — so rational people would agree to submit to a sovereign. Locke modified this: the contract is conditional on the government protecting natural rights. Rousseau radicalized it: the social contract must express the general will of all citizens. Rawls revived the tradition in the 20th century with his hypothetical contract behind the veil of ignorance.
Key Thinkers (3)
Thomas Hobbes
1588 CE – 1679 CE
Without government, life is 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short': we need a sovereign to keep peace.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
1712 CE – 1778 CE
Humans are naturally good but corrupted by society; legitimate government requires the general will.
John Rawls
1921 CE – 2002 CE
A just society is one we would design from behind a 'veil of ignorance' about our own position in it.