The term social contract gets used a lot, but few people really know what it entails. So, we did some digging.
The Oxford language dictionary defines a social contract as
“an implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits, for example by sacrificing some individual freedom for state protection.”
Theories of a social contract became popular in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries among theorists such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, as a means of explaining the origin of government and the obligations of subjects.
Back in the day, the philosophers used the term to compare a government-controlled setting (usually totalitarian), with a “natural state of anarchy.”
Thomas Hobbes believed that in the “state of nature,” individuals would constantly be in conflict, driven by self-interest. Hence people agree on an authority figure tasked with imposing laws and maintaining order.
John Locke was more optimistic about human nature and believed that people could be rational and cooperate. However, they still need laws and systems to resolve disputes over property and resources.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that true freedom could only be found by living under laws that everyone agrees upon. People need to put aside their personal interests in favor of the collective good.
Today, in democratic societies, citizens grant authority to the government through elections, constitutions and the rules of law, while holding it accountable.
In summary, a social contract is the foundation of political legitimacy, explaining why people submit to laws and governance. While interpretations of the contract vary, they share a core idea:
Society functions because individuals agree, implicitly or explicitly, to give up some freedoms in exchange for the benefits of collective security and order.
