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Social Contract Theory

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Abstract

This paper aims to explain to explain how theories of various if not limited to one of social contractor’s philosophies can be applied in South Africa. The introduction of the paper explains what a social contract is and how it came to play a role between the state and its citizens. The next part of the paper introduces Jean-Jacques Rousseau concept of the social contract what it entails, it further discusses its relation to the state and its citizens and how it has influenced South Africa. The third part of the paper deals with the application of the identified philosophy and analysing what the philosopher is saying and showing how this has played out in the context of South Africa. The last part of the paper elaborates that while …show more content…

sacrificing some individual rights for state protection. It refers broadly to a situation whereby a legitimate state authority is derived from the consent of the government. Another definition of a social contract can be explained as the voluntary agreement among individuals by which according to any various theories such as Hobbes, Locke or Rousseau organised society is brought into being and invested with the right to secure mutual protection and welfare or to regulate the relations among its members. This concept of a social contract theory is that in the beginning humans lived in the state nature, they had no government to regulate them and to overcome these hardships they had to agree to live together under common laws and enforce the social contract and the laws that constitute it. Therefore the government came into being because of the two agreements. Through such a contract citizens gaining civil rights in return for accepting the obligation to respect other people’s rights and also defend them thus giving up certain freedoms to do so.
Jean-Jacques …show more content…

We therefore through our freely elected representatives adopt this constitution as the supreme law of the Republic so as to heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights, lay the foundations of an open and democratic society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law. Improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person and build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of

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