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Social Contract Theory of Origin of State

The social contract theory explains the origin of the state as an agreement among individuals to form a society, primarily articulated by philosophers John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean Jacques Rousseau. It posits that individuals surrender some of their rights to a sovereign in exchange for order and protection, with varying views on the extent of rights surrendered and the role of the sovereign. Hobbes advocates for total surrender of rights to a king, Locke supports partial surrender with the right to replace the king, and Rousseau emphasizes the concept of the General Will for the common good.

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30 views1 page

Social Contract Theory of Origin of State

The social contract theory explains the origin of the state as an agreement among individuals to form a society, primarily articulated by philosophers John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean Jacques Rousseau. It posits that individuals surrender some of their rights to a sovereign in exchange for order and protection, with varying views on the extent of rights surrendered and the role of the sovereign. Hobbes advocates for total surrender of rights to a king, Locke supports partial surrender with the right to replace the king, and Rousseau emphasizes the concept of the General Will for the common good.

Uploaded by

Harsh Luthra
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Social Contract Theory of

origin of State
The social contract theory is one of the theories of the origin of the state. It has been emerged
since the time of the sophists of the Greece but it has got recognition in the hands of the great
trio. The name of these great philosophers were – John Locke, Thomas Hobbes and Jean Jacques
Rousseau.

The term social stands for the society where these individual persons live and the term contract is
an agreement or a promise made between the two or more individual and a groups/society. There
were many other theories of the origin of the state but the social contract theory has explained
the origin of state in a systematic manner.

This theory states that the society or the state came into being by a contract that was made
between the individual and the society or the contract that was made amongst the individual
people. It states that the conditions in the state of nature at some point became worst and to come
of this situation the people entered themselves into a contract and according to this contract the
people will surrender some part of their right to the sovereign.

According to Hobbes people will surrender all their rights to the kings and king will not be a part
of the contract, the king will be all sovereign whereas Locke says that the people will surrender
only a part of their right to the king and is also a part of the contract and the people will have the
right to change the king if he fails to fulfill his duties and Rousseau talks about the General Will,
it is not the will of all nor it is the will of the majority but is a general will is the will of the
people for the common good.

HARSH LUTHRA

BALLB

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