Social Contract Theory
- Theory
- Social Contract Theory
- Jurist
- Thomas Hobbes
- Description
Holds that the state and political authority arise from a contract by which individuals leave the state of nature and surrender some freedom to a sovereign in exchange for security and order. Hobbes argued the natural condition was a "war of all against all," requiring an absolute sovereign — a basis later reshaped by Locke (consent, natural rights) and Rousseau (general will).