Social Contract Theories: Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau & Aristotle

Posted on Feb 17, 2025 in Philosophy and ethics

Social Contract Theories

Modern theories of contract all share the idea that the origin of society and the foundation of political power is a social contract or cohabitation agreement. Let’s examine the nuances.

Absolutist Theory: Thomas Hobbes

Man is evil by nature, a wolf to man. Every man, driven by selfishness, has interests that may lead to social conflict or a war of all against all. Therefore, man gives up part of their freedom to a superior body capable of ensuring order and social harmony. This power must be strong and all-encompassing to prevent cracks or conflicts.

Liberal Theory: John Locke

In the natural state, the human being has certain rights: freedom, life, and property. Individuals violate this state by not complying with equity and justice. So, individuals cede their rights to a sovereign group to ensure individual rights. This assignment is not perpetual and irrevocable. The right to rebellion is recognized if the sovereign defaults.

The liberal democratic model is the result we reach with Locke. This is a system where individuals choose the rulers regularly, and they are required to ensure social order and respect for individual rights, with limited and divided power: legislative, executive, and federative (right to declare war).

Sovereigntist Theory: Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The man is good by nature. Sovereignty was transferred to the people, who authorize the action of government. Power no longer is of divine origin, but resides in the people.

The state of nature is characterized by freedom, equality, and kindness. The man, originally good, is corrupted by society. The notion of ownership leads to selfishness and evil. The company released the man into a brutal competition.

The social pact eliminates individual selfishness by the submission of each citizen to the general will and unanimous assembly. The political model is direct democracy.

Aristotelian Theory: The Human Being as a Political Animal

Politics are natural to man. If Plato was a covenant theorist, for Aristotle it is a natural consequence of the fact that human beings are essentially social. He defines man as a political animal. The state is a political organization that results from the association of individuals, families, and villages. It has a natural origin. Its purpose is to meet basic needs of life and ensure that citizens can meet them.

He considers the fact of living in society as something natural to man, underscoring the primacy of the polis over other forms of social relationship, as the village or family.

For Aristotle, the citizen is involved in the administration of justice and the city government. This citizen participation is aimed at achieving the proper purpose of the city, which is the common good of citizens. Therefore, it is not enough for a citizen to live in a certain territory.

Political Regimes

The best political system is the one that makes the best contribution to the common good. All schemes that have only in mind the good of the rulers are despotic and undesirable. These are deviations from the righteous.

Order of Perfection in Forms of Government