Pdf summary of social contract theory by hobbes, locke. Social contract theory in american case law penn law. After hobbes, john locke and jeanjacques rousseau are the best known. Hobbesian liberalism university of central arkansas. The concept of a social contract has been central to political thought since the seventeenth century. Public administration by matt charles administration and government padm 9000 dr.
It is interesting to note that peer to locke and hobbes and fellow social contract theorist, rousseau, was not a proponent of natural law for the individual as he believed governments or a sovereign were needed to rule the innately evil mankind to protect it from itself. Summary of social contract theory by hobbes, locke and. According to hobbes, the lives of individuals in the state of nature were solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short, a state in which anarchism the prevented orderly society. There were hardships and oppression on the sections of the society. It also put forth the differences of opinion of these jurists of the state of nature with regard to. Developed in 1651, the thomas hobbes social contract theory that looks to address the origin of society. The social contract theory is essentially the viewpoint that the political andor moral duties of people depend on an. The game provides students with a concrete experience of thought.
Contract tradition that the individuals rights are. Hobbes and the social contract tradition jean hampton. The social contract theory is a voluntary agreement among individuals that which organized society is brought it into being and invested with the right to secure a mutual protection and welfare to regulate the. Daniel baracskay valdosta state university november 8, 2011. The first modern philosopher to articulate a detailed contract theory was thomas hobbes in his work titled leviathan. Thomas hobbes stated that men would always be in a condition of war if they did what they wanted all of the time. The contract explores the asociality of the human species and self preservation, which is fundamental to the human drive. Notice hobbes presents a framework for understanding the origins of morality. Spend most of your time on the theories of the philosophers from the course reading. How do the social contract theories of hobbes, locke and. The condition in which people give up some individual liberty in exchange for some common security is the social contract. Pdf although in the concept of the social contract theory written by the three philosophers jeanjacques rousseau, thomas hobbes, and. This essay explores the historical context of each philosopher and considers the differences in the social contractual theory that emerged.
I will attempt to answer this question by initially explaining what hobbes view on humanity was, since these views were what caused him to write his theory on the social contract, quote part of what he wrote regarding the subject and what it means in laymans terms. Social contract hobbes, locke, rousseauafter reading the three social contractarians, thomas hobbes, john locke, and jeanjacques rousseau, it is clear they each have different views on how to define a legitimate government, how to obtain one, what human nature is, and the social contract theory itself. The social contract theory generally, social contract theorists advance the view that the state or, more precisely, civil society is the product of a contract, a covenant, an agreement, or a compact. Social contract theory internet encyclopedia of philosophy. All forms of social contract theory can be ultimately boiled down to this. The word leviathan is adopted from old testament, which is a hebrew word means, sea monster. Social contract theory, contractarianism and contractualism the first major normative ethical theory we discussed was utilitarianism, which defines the right action as the one that maximizes utility. In the book, he wrote that in early human history there was no government. However, their respective philosophies were informed by a starkly contrasting vision of human nature. Hobbes leviathan played a part of social contract theory.
In the social contract from hobbes to rawls, leading scholars from britain and america survey the history of. Hobbes said that the lives of individuals were solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and. Alienation theory considers the contract as irrevocable. His theory of a social contract celebrated the rights. Contract theory has been used to justify political authority, to account for the origins of the state, and to provide foundations for moral values and the creation of a just society. Once you have finished analyzing the sources and your notes, write a short two to threeparagraph reflective essay comparing and contrasting the social contract theories of the two philosophers. This agreement has been said to be responsible for the bases of our moral decisions and stances.
The contract must be between rational people, because neither hobbes nor locke permit children or nonrational adults, such as the insane, to form contracts. Pdf comparison of social contract theory of jeanjacques. The ultimate realist, hobbes argued that because of mans fear of death, and to escape a life that is nasty, brutish and short, mankind enters into a social contract, in essence, for his own. This major study of hobbess political philosophy draws on recent developments in game and decision theory to explore whether the thrust of the argument in leviathan, that it is in the interests of the people to create a ruler with absolute power, can be shown to be cogent. Professor hampton has written a book of vital importance to political philosophers, political and social scientists, and. It is found in such documents as papal bulls and lockes writings on native. However, it was english philosopher thomas hobbes 15881679 who expanded on the idea when he wrote leviathan, his philosophical response to the english civil war. Social contract theory focuses on the origination of laws and states, and the influence states or regulated communities have on the individual. Analysis of the theory of social contract by thomas hobbes 1. His object was to defend the absolute power of the monarch and he used the doctrine of the social contract to support it. Pdf this paper provides a small summary of social contract theory by hobbes, locke and rousseau. Thomas hobbes writes in his book leviathan 1651 that, there should be very strong centralized government to prevent the chaos and unrest in the society.
Materialism is the view that physical, material bodies alone are real. Be sure to include specific examples from the lesson and outside. Kant offers important considerations concerning the social contract theory in his work on the commonplace that what works in theory need not work in practice. Written at the end of the english civil war, leviathan exhibits a fair appraisal of human dignity while also exposing the dangers of traditional democracy. Everyone would pursue their own selfinterest, without security of position, ultimately leading to a downfall of society. The social contract and its impact on american politics. Comparing the social contracts of hobbes and locke murdoch. A basic introduction, criticisms, and discussion questions. The social contract theory research paper research paper sample. I will attempt to answer this question by initially explaining what hobbes view on humanity was, since these views were what caused him to write his theory on the social contract, quote part of what he wrote regarding the subject and what it means in laymans terms what hobbes believed. Then the paper points out the state of nature according to hobbes, locke and rousseau. Having concluded that it is natural and rational for people to give up some liberty in order to gain security of selfpreservation, hobbes develops a conception of what forms of social organization and political system are consistent with those aims.
According to hobbes, individuals consent, other tacitly or explicitly, to surrender personal freedoms to a ruling leader or group. The social contract theory research paper, research paper. Social contract theory, its roots in natural law and effect on the u. Social contract theory thomas hobbes state of nature we implicitly accept a social contract establishment of moral rules to govern relations among citizens government capable of enforcing these rules jeanjacques rousseau in ideal society, no one above rules that prevents society from enacting bad rules. This paper recounts the pedagogical benefits of the hobbes game to introduce students to hobbes social contract theory. The concept of social contract theory is that in the beginning man lived in the state of nature. Hobbess political theory stands in stark contrast to the liberal views. Thomas hobbes was the first person to come up with the idea of a social contract in his text, leviathan. Hobbes, locke, rousseau and the social contract theory. According to hobbes, the root cause of civil war in england can be, without any hesitation, attributed to the selfish nature of man. The author introduces a modified version of john immerwahrs hobbes game and organizes the activities according david kolbs typology of learning styles. Lecture 8 social contract theory university of british. At the same time, it looks at the overall legitimacy of how a state has authority over an individual.
Our natural inclination is to fall into a state of war. The social contract in the commonwealth by institution ch. Utilitarianism is the prominent type of consequentialist ethical theory, which more generally define the right action in terms of the consequences the action produces. The social contract in what hobbes called the commonwealth by acquisition ch. Hobbess social contract theory became very important, but its impor tance was soon eclipsed by the later social contract theory of john locke. Social contract theory, nearly as old as philosophy itself, is the view that persons. The social contract theory states that some amount of individual liberty must be given up in favor of common security.
John locke, second treatise of civil government, 20 1690, available at 2. Locke and hobbes both share a vision of the social contract as instrumental in a states political stability. Thomas hobbes and social contract theory vernacular. Influenced by hobbes social contract, jean jacques rousseau published on the social contract presenting his theory of the social contract that.
This was a theory of the social contract, a theory of rational individuals creating a rational government, a government not based on class. Essay on thomas hobbes social contract theory 982 words. It discusses what is the social contract theory and the reason. Thus, for hobbes, everything including human minds are explicable in terms of physical, material parts. Hobbes and locke were guilty of using the moralising language of contracts to. Summary of social contract theory by hobbes, locke and rousseau. Research the positions of thomas hobbes and john locke on. Research the positions of thomas hobbes and john locke on social contract theory.
They had no government and there was no law to regulate them. Thomas hobbes and social contract sociology learners. Summary of social contract theory by hobbes, locke and rousseau article pdf available in ssrn electronic journal april 20 with 182,572 reads how we measure reads. Lockes theory was developed as a legal philosophy to underpin the english revolution of 1688, which put an end to the divine right of kingship and its denial of a popular base for government. Thomas hobbes wrote the leviathan in the early 1640 s. John locke proposed a very different theory of the social contract in his two treatises of government. Outline hobbes theory on the social contract giving details on what he believed was needed to maintain it. If all men were basically selfish, then they would only aim. Thomas hobbes devised the social contract theory in the 17th century. Overview of leviathan more than most works published during the enlightenment, thomas hobbes leviathan 1651 stands as a transition piece between the medieval and modern ages. What would life be like in a state of nature, and why according to hobbes. Social contract was not a willing agreement but the rich stole land and fooled common people into accepting them as rulers. Key players in social contract theory thomas hobbes 15881679. Social contract, in political philosophy, an actual or hypothetical compact, or agreement, between the ruled and their rulers, defining the rights and duties of each.
Pdf summary of social contract theory by hobbes, locke and. Hobbes, locke, rousseau and the social contract theory alex y. Social contract theory raises the possibility that the need for social order and certain. Social contract theory thomas hobbes thomas hobbes. Thomas hobbes social contract theory essay 895 words. The term social contract can be found as far back as the writings of the 4th5th century bce greek philosopher plato. Ramon lemos, hobbes was the first postrenaissance philosopher to present an original and comprehensive system of political philosophy 1978. According to him, prior to social contract, man lived in the state of nature. In this particular book, locke states that society and government are bound in a social contract that maintains an orderly and balanced system of life and general order, which shares many contrasting features with hobbes theory of the social contract. As with any concept in history, other political philosophers have used hobbes theory as a steppingstone. Social contract theory social contract is the view that persons moral andor political obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement among them to form the society in which they live. The most influential socialcontract theorists were the 17th18th century philosophers thomas hobbes, john locke, and jeanjacques rousseau. But, hobbes points out that all of this mistrust and deception and betrayal which would go on in our natural state would disappear if there were both a a social contract, and b some institution in place to enforce the contract.
Thomas hobbes social contract theory explained hrf. Lockes social contract is formulated and stated in his work on political theory, two treatises of government. Social contract according to him, prior to social contract, man lived in the state of nature. In this book he gave a striking exposition of the theory of social contract. One of those men is john locke, who presents a very different account of how it is civil society is formed. Thomas hobbes theory of social contract appeared for the first time in leviathan published in the year 1651 during the civil war in britain. This paper provides a small summary of social contract theory by hobbes, locke and rousseau. This root cause of civil war has become an axiom for hobbesean social contract. Hobbes, locke, and rousseau pdf files by strauss and cropsey. Thomas hobbes legal theory is based on social contract. A comparison of hobbes and locke on natural law and social. Pdf social contract theory by hobbes, locke and rousseau.