Hobbes And Rousseau On The Social Contract Theory

Hobbes and Rousseau on the Social Contract Theory The social contract theory focuses on the origin of states and laws, and the impact of regulated communities or states on individuals. All conceptions of the social contract theory can be harmonized to the individual desire for safety or security and the demand for fulfillment through a collective agreement which transforms the human dimension into an organized society from the primordial state. Rousseau was the first philosopher to coin the social contract terminology despite it being recognized in some Greek philosophers’ works. Thomas Hobbes, however, is widely acknowledged as the founder of the social contract theory within western philosophy (Baird, 2011). As a result, the theories of Rousseau and Locke can be regarded, to some extent, to be based on the disquisitions of Hobbes. Conversely, Locke and Rousseau have transformed the concept of Hobbes to align with their perspectives on society and human nature. Hobbes and Rousseau have significant similarities and difference s in their similarities conceptions regarding the social contract theory. Hobbes argues that man naturally desires security and order. It is the quest for security and preservation, as well as the need to avoid pain and misery that made man to get into a contract. Self-preservation and protection are widespread in the nature of man and in an attempt to achieve it, man voluntarily surrendered all his rights and freedoms to the authority through theShow MoreRelatedThe Social Contract : Hobbes Vs. Rousseau1457 Words   |  6 PagesThe Social Contract: Hobbes vs. Rousseau Since the beginning of the modern age, governments and states have existed in order to maintain moral law. Essentially these institutions are for the greater good of humanity. However, little thought is ever given to how humans lived without governments. 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