John Locke s Social Contract Theory Essay - 2234 Words

1 John locke’s social contract theory Mohd Furkan M.A.(politics: international and area study) AIS, JAMIA MILLIA ISLAMIA NEW DELHI INTRODUCTION The mutual agreement that pave the way for a person enters into a civil society is called social contact. The theory of social contract belongs in an especial manner to the political philosopher of the seventeenth and eighteenth century. But it did not originate with them. It had its roots in the popular consciousness of the mediaeval society . Historically the consciousness of the natural right and natural law came about around the sixteenth century and it is in this context, the social contract theory prospered. The first prominent theorist talk about the social contract was indeed Thomas Hobbes. In Hobbes’s state of nature, each individual was independent and free, had a right to fend himself and pursue his own good and self-interest. From the writing of Hobbes, synopsis of this idea is that the state of nature is state of war of all against all. Therefore the individuals form government and become part of society to escape this condition. However Locke paints a completely different picture of the state of nature. The purpose of this term paper is to analyze some salient features of John Locke’s social contract theory and some latent ideas and theories that endorse it. IDEAS THAT ENDORSE SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY HUMAN UNDERSTANDING In order to understand the Locke’s human nature. We have to go throughShow MoreRelatedThomas Hobbes And John Locke s Theory Of Social Contract Theory1449 Words   |  6 PagesIn this essay, I argue contemporary social contract theory extends itself beyond politics and into philosophy, religion, and literature. I begin by defining social contract theory and explaining the different perspectives of English philosophers, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. 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