...Page 1 of 7 What is Social Contract Theory? The concept of social contract theory is that in the beginning man lived in the state of nature. They had no government and there was no law to regulate them. There were hardships and oppression on the sections of the society. To overcome from these hardships they entered into two agreements which are:1. “Pactum Unionis”; and 2. “Pactum Subjectionis”. By the first pact of unionis, people sought protection of their lives and property. As, a result of it a society was formed where people undertook to respect each other and live in peace and harmony. By the second pact of subjectionis, people united together and pledged to obey an authority and surrendered the whole or part of their freedom and rights to an authority. The authority guaranteed everyone protection of life, property and to a certain extent liberty. Thus, they must agree to establish society by collectively and reciprocally renouncing the rights they had against one another in the State of Nature and they must imbue some one person or assembly of persons with the authority and power to enforce the initial contract. In other words, to ensure their escape from the State of Nature, they must both agree to live together under common laws, and create an enforcement mechanism for the social contract and the laws that constitute it. Thus, the authority or the government or the sovereign or the state came into being because of the two agreements. Analysis...
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...The Social Contract The Age of Enlightenment was a period of reason, discovery, and knowledge. In the 17th century, Europe created a movement that supported personal intellect, skepticism, and individualism. People resisted traditional notions and set out to think for themselves and develop new ways of interpreting life. In this new age of reason, society’s origin was questioned and this resulted in a new philosophy. The Social Contract is a theory that explains the relationship between individuals and authority. There are many different viewpoints on how this theoretical contract originated and how it should be upheld. New enlightened thinkers Thomas Hobbes, John Lock, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau publically shared their views on the Social Contract. The Leviathan, published in 1651, was the first written work to argue certain interpretations of a social contract. Thomas Hobbes used this publication to explain to the world why an absolute government was necessary for the advancement of civilization and individualism. According to Hobbes, before laws and government were established, men existed in a “state of nature”. The hypothetical state of nature describes the condition in which people lived before a civil society. Hobbes believed that this state was full of chaos, fear, and self-reliance. Men were free to do as they pleased and there was no order to ensure their protection. In order to maintain a beneficial society, men would have to surrender their rights and freedoms to...
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...John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Thomas Hobbes were significant figures during the Enlightenment, a European intellectual movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries emphasizing reason and individualism rather than tradition. These philosophers agree on some points, however they contradict each other on other ideas. In today’s society, capital punishment is a very controversial topic. Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is a legal sentence to die for serious criminal behavior. The death penalty is a controversial topic because some crimes are so odious that the perpetrator deserves to die and another view is that the authority makes mistakes and capital punishment cannot be reversed, once the convict is dead, he can not be brought...
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...and to provide for security of its people. In a state of anarchy, this protection and security would be non-existent. This would cause humans to have to provide their own security and protect their own property. The debate on how humans would act under these circumstances was greatly examined by 17th centuries philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, and 18th century philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Each philosopher has different views on how humans would behave in a state of nature. Thomas Hobbes in particular is the most accurate in his description of how humans would behave and interact with each other. Like Hobbes, I believe that humans are only out to maximize their self-interests and in a state of nature, they will do so by any means possible. In The Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes takes on a realist perspective as he describes how he believes humans will behave in a state of nature. He writes that in such circumstances, humans are only out to maximize their own self-interests (Leviathan, Shifdar). I also take this perspective believing that in a state of nature, the main goal of humans is to obtain and preserve power. Basing my beliefs after Hobbes, I believe that to obtain such power, humans will attempt to do so by any means. In a state of nature, the most common way people will obtain power is through the formation of alliances; which will lead to the formation of a small government. The main goal of these alliances, will be to obtain resources necessary for survival. Within...
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... How does Aristotle justify slavery? 1. Mill is one of the main figures of the liberal tradition. Why? Characterize the main ideas of this ideology and discuss how they are represented in Mill’s philosophy. 2. Define and discuss the dangers of democracy according to Mill. What are his solutions? 3. Describe utilitarianism. In what ways can Mill be understood as an utilitarian and in which ways not? 4. Describe Marx’ historical materialism, including what role history plays in his philosophy. What relation does ‘revolution’ have to historical laws and human activity, respectively? 5. Describe Marx’ theory of alienation. Discuss its political implications. 6. What are the main arguments of Michael Hardt’s text? Discuss them in relation to Marx. 7. Compare and discuss the different understandings of ”freedom” in liberal and socialist ideology. 1. Characterize the main ideas of neoliberalism. 2. What are Nozick’s arguments against distributive justice and what does he mean by entitlement theory? 3. What aspects of enlightenment thought can be found in Wollestencraft’s writings? 4. What are the main points of the feminist critique of liberalism according to Nussbaum? 5. Discuss how Fanon views the mechanisms of colonial violence. How are...
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...democratically elected politicians is constantly scrutinised by their constituents, peers, the press and the nation as a whole. The recent expenses scandal provides an example as to why national and global societies have suspicious feelings toward the intentions of politicians. This essay will highlight the fact that the role of a professional politician, where instant decisive and important decisions need to be made, and the context sometimes require democratically elected politicians, engaged in a social contract with the electorate, to lie to safeguard the greater good of national and global citizens. Due to the volume of theory and discourse related to this topic, it would not be practical to analyse all aspects to this question. However, this essay will examine the following: first, it will look at the unique nature of the role of a politician, followed by an overview of the social contract theory and the contributions made to it by Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Rawls. Then, the work of Niccolo Machiavelli and the notion of Reason of State will be examined, followed, in turn, by Utilitarianism, commenting on the contributions of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. This will be done before going onto balance the essay by introducing a counterargument offered by Idealism. Finally, to contextualise the thesis, there will be a contemporary example given of a world leader having to lie for the greater good of global citizens for possible prevention of...
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...the author of the Two Treatises of Government. The ideas throughout these were written as a critique of England’s current form of government at that time. The First Treatise was more of an assessment of another philosopher during that time, Robert Filmer. Filmer believed that each man was naturally born a slave to those with absolute authority; for example, Adam, as in Adam and Eve, had absolute control over not only his children, but all of the children who came from those who succeeded Adam as well. This is because Adam’s power and control was appointed from God, who was the absolute king in this situation. Locke disagreed with this theory stating instead that every man had the ability to govern himself. A king does not have absolute power as those powers are limited by the rights given to the individuals. The Second Treatise, then, began the critiquing of government. Locke argues that sovereignty is placed into the hands of the people. People are said to be equal and invested with natural rights. In his “state of nature,” natural law governs the behavior of the citizens and each person has the right to execute that law against someone who infringes on their rights. Locke’s model consists ultimately of a civil state that is based upon the natural rights common to a people who welcome power to protect their property and liberty. If a government ceases to function for the people’s benefit or in their best interest,...
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...Contrast Between Two Political Thinkers: Thomas Hobbes and John Locke Abstract The Social Contract theory which dominated the European political thought in the eighteen century has played a very important part in the development of the modern political theory and practice. Being the most important of all the speculative theories, it came into being as a result of reaction against the theory of the Divine Origin. This theory was the first to denounce the influence of the church in the state affairs, provided an explanation for the origin of the state and shows the relationship between those who governs and those who are governed. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke are the chief exponents of the Contract Theory. Both of them have established their thesis from the beginning of human habitation, though their ideas and opinions are quite distinct. Hobbes in his theory has only described one contract where Locke has described two. Thomas Hobbes’ “Leviathan” and John Locke’s “Two Treaties on Civil Government” these books are considered as bibles in the evolution of modern states system. Though there are criticisms and debates regarding the social contract theory, but the modern political theories today have evolved from these contract theories which has no doubt. The aim of this assignment is to compare and contrast between Thomas Hobbes and John Locke and explore their contribution in the development of international relations according to the analysis of their works. Introduction ...
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...Social Contract Theory of John Locke Shannon Roundtree June 23, 2014 Patricia DeAngelis Differences of the Social Contract Theories There were three critical thinkers who played a major role in creating the concept of the social contract theory. The overall concept of this theory was to see how individuals could survive in a world regulated by laws and government. Each of these individuals had different perspectives on the state of nature. Thomas Hobbes’ view was that man was fearful and selfish. He believed that man desired a sense of security and order. If man wanted to have a sense of self-preservation and protection, they needed to enter into a social contract and surrender their rights and freedom. In other words, a government was created to regulate their lives. Thomas Hobbes also believed that individuals were free to take whatever they wanted and be greedy, and resolve disputes with war. John Locke’s view was different than Thomas Hobbes as he believed no individual has any power over the next and everyone has the freedom to do what they want. John Locke also believed that if an individual committed a crime, they needed to be punished. Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that the government should adhere to the freedom of all individuals, but with constraints. His views were that individuals could not be free in modern society like they could be in a state of nature if property and laws existed. Key Principles of John Locke’s Social Contract Theory John Locke viewed...
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...1. According to Hobbes, the absolute sovereignty is the best form of government for man. He also describes the state of nature as a state of war of everyone against everyone. (pg310) Everyone would be looking out for themselves and making sure they were safe and provided for. The idea that there would be no such thing as just or unjust cannot be true and would not work. Murder, theft, or assault would still be “unjust” but would not be properly handled since there is no authority. People will take it amongst themselves to handle the situation and apply their own justice to the offender. It would be chaotic since there is no regulation to any of the punishments. Since there would be wars nonstop with everyone wanting to come out as the victor,...
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...NOT lead to American settlement in the seventeenth ce ntury? A) Q uesti oning the divine right of kings B) T he sp lit from the Church of England C) Belief in self - government D) Belief in intelligent design E) Hobbes and Loc ke’s social contract theories 3) A social contract theory of government was proposed by A) Plato and Aristotle. B) Aquinas and Luther. C) Newton and the separatists. D) Locke and Hobbes. E) Plato and Luther. 4) Locke's Second Treatise on Civil Government set s out a theory of A) the divine rights of kings. B) aristocracy. C) democracy. D) republicanism. E) natural rights. 5) Indirect democracy is based on A) consensus. B) unanimity. C) the system of government used in ancient Greece. D) representation. E) "mob rule." 6) Republics are A) representative democracies. B) direct democracies. C) a hallmark of unitary governments. D) frequently found in totalitarian regimes. E) another name for states. 7) In an oligarchy, rule is by A) the many. B) the few. C) one person. D) all people. E) people who own property. 8) A doctrine that society should be governed by certain ethical principles that are part of nature and can be understood by reason is called A) ethical law. B) contract law. C) natural law. D) Newton's law. E) constitutional law. 9) Who was the major author of the Declaration of Independence? A) George Washington B) James Madison C) Thomas Jefferson D) Benjamin Franklin E)...
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...enlightenment and the conditions that were necessary to make it possible for people to enlighten themselves. Kant held it necessary that all church and state to be abolished and people be given the freedom to use their own intellect. Hobbesian social control theory was a ideological invention that came about during the pre 1750s. The social control theory is a view that a person’s moral and political obligations are dependent upon a ‘contract’ or an agreement among that to form a society in which they live in. However, social contract theory is rightly associated with modern moral and political theory and is given its first full exposition and defence by Thomas Hobbes. After Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau are the best known proponents of this enormously influential theory, which has been one of the most dominant theories within moral and political theory throughout the history of the modern West. More recently, philosophers from different perspectives have offered new criticisms of social contract theory. In particular, feminist’s philosophers have argued that the social control theory is an incomplete picture of people’s moral and political lives and may camouflage some on the ways that people live and their classes. Hobbes manages to create an argument that makes civil society. Naturalism is a theory that has developed from the ideas of Spinoza that holds that all phenomena can be explained mechanistically in terms of natural causes and laws. Naturalism states...
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...important author because of his speeches and books of his war and fight for public support. According to Cicero, the notion of public opinion and its perception differ according to the form of societies, because at that time there were no mass media, the communication between the leaders or the politicians and the citizens was face-to-face interaction in which gossips and rumors are the source of the information and affect the people’s reputation. He used certain terms instead of public opinion such as opinion, estimation, judgement of the Roman people, he was supporting the opinion of the many, as he mentioned in his treatise Topica : “For people think that men of talent or wealth, or those whom time has tested, are worthy of credit; perhaps this is not right, but the opinion of the many can hardly be changed, and those who judge as well as those who make assessments form all their views with reference to it” (Topica. 73). Quintilian said that Cicero was “the name, not of a man, but of eloquence itself,” because his ideas, series of daily letters, books, treatises are still of great importance till nowadays, and they inspired the Enlightenment thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, David Hume, Montesquieu and Thomas Jefferson who borrowed many ideas from Cicero. One of the most important figures in discussing the notion of public opinion was the political philosopher Thomas Hobbes. He claimed that in every state there should be a communication from the citizens to the government...
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...Philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau had profound effects on the enlightenment period and therefore, largely molded the modern politic landscape. His influence comes from his shaping of the Social Contract Theory, assertion of the importance of individual liberty in society, and the natural goodness innate to mankind. His nonconformist critic of the world led him to assert that society has degraded in virtue, not progressed. Yet, through a proper understanding of the positives and negative aspects of natural man, society could be corrected unto a path suitable for virtue. The father of the Romantic movement in the 19th century, Rousseau had a great admiration for the natural world. A strong opponent on the direction that the modern world was following, he stressed the importance of liberty and equality. Rousseau believed that the creation of institutional bureaucracy and capitalism was leading humanity to a dark future, one that needed to be corrected. He found that the answer could only be found through the comprehension of natural world, “not in the books of your fellow-men, which are liars, but in nature, which never lies” (Rousseau 104). In the state of nature, equality flourished because the “barbarous man does not bend his head for...
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...of the principles in how the theories differ from traditional utilitarianism. The second part of this paper will continue with the explanation of how modern criminal justice agencies and other entities define justice. This paper will conclude with how security defines justice. The state of nature from the political theorists of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau states that men were under the assumption of only thinking about themselves, and they did dedicate themselves to their own interests. “Hobbes proposed an autocracy that protects its citizens through its very existence, leaving them no enforceable rights; Locke advanced a liberal regime in which life, liberty, and property are kept safe from governmental discretion, as they are seen as natural human characters; and Rousseau saw politics itself as a remedy for the discontents of private life, and therefore guaranteed to individuals no immunity except for say in public counsel” (Gerson, 2004, p. 777). Men did push toward obtaining a social contract because they were fed up with the killings between each other. The men did give up some of their rights to the government so the social contract would protect them. The government was there to provide bodily security. Rawls did make...
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