Notes

In our day-to-day lives, we are constantly governed by a dominating force that controls and shapes our every move: society. And with that society comes an exchange, a trade of power; a social contract. Philosophers have debated the purpose and significance of the social contract for years, each taking a slightly different stance on what it means. Yet, all these great minds agreed on one thing; the social contract exists, and it holds power over us. But to delve into the more detailed aspects of social contract theory, we must first examine the essence of a social contract.

A social contract is the perspective that someone’s moral and ethical obligations depend upon a contract to form the society in which they live. This applies to many aspects of our lives, whether it comes to government, family, or even manners. Social contracts can be explicit, (such as laws) or implicit. (like chewing with your mouth closed). Social contracts and their ideal forms, as well as their intricacies, have been contemplated by philosophers as early as Socrates. Two philosophers of importance, in direct opposition with each other’s views, were Locke and Hobbes.

Hobbes believed life was naturally nasty, short, and brutish, and that we formed these social contracts to relinquish our freedom in order to ensure our interests(peace and prosperity). Hobbes believed that in order for a country to function, there had to be a strong monarchy, and the less hands that power was in, the better. The British government adapted this view for many years, and still retains the name "monarchy". Locke, on the other hand, believed that all people had certain inalienable rights, that could not be relinquished. Locke also believed that when a governing body was not ensuring the interests of the people, that they had the right to break the social contract and overthrow the government. This concept was the foundation of the Declaration of Independence, where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, or the unalienable rights, were being violated. As a result, they chose to overthrow British rule and break the social contract.