Social contract

The social contract is a theory that explains political authority as the result of an agreement, real or hypothetical, among people who give up some freedoms in exchange for security and order. It was developed by early modern philosophers to explain why government is legitimate.

Thomas Hobbes argued that people in a "state of nature" would live in constant fear and so would submit to a sovereign. John Locke held that people have natural rights and form government to protect them, so that rulers who violate the trust can be replaced. Jean-Jacques Rousseau stressed the "general will" of the community. The Declaration of Independence reflects the Lockean version, stating that governments derive "their just powers from the consent of the governed."

The theory underlies consent of the governed and popular sovereignty and has influenced constitutions across the world. Edmund Burke offered a different view, describing society as a partnership between the living, the dead and the unborn, which many conservatives favor over a purely voluntary contract. Critics note that few people ever actually consented and that the theory neglects history and obligations people do not choose. Modern philosophers such as John Rawls revived contract arguments.