Social contract theory is the view that a person’s moral and or political obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement in order to form a society. Social contract is associated with political theorists such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. They are the most influential theorist and have contributed to moral and political theory.
Hobbes views that political obligations are subsumed under religious obligation. He argues, that political authority and obligation are based on one’s self interest. This political theory is understood in two parts, human motivation and the social contract which are founded on the hypothetical state of nature. Hobbes sees human as inherently brutish and selfish, this will ultimately cause one to have a short and miserable
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He believes that man will be in a constant state of warfare. Hobbes outlines these principles as competition, diffidence and glory. Without a sovereign to bring men together, one will simply be ruled by these innate traits and in turn man will become savage. With the power of a sovereign, these qualities can be tamed and man can have peace with one another. This idea of self-preservation and self-protection are inherently in man, and to achieve peace and order, man must surrendered all his rights and freedoms to a sovereign. Man must agree to establish society by collectively renouncing the rights he once had and in turn one won’t be up against each other. Hobbes argues that a sovereign must have absolute authority in order for society to function. To him this a preferable alternative to living in the state of nature. No matter how much society may object to how badly a sovereign maintains the affairs of the state,