How did Thomas Hobbes explain the social contract?

In his seminal work Leviathan (1651), Thomas Hobbes proposed the social contract as a hypothetical solution to the inherent dangers of the state of nature.12

Hobbes argued that because humans are naturally self-interested and competitive, the state of nature is a "war of all against all," where life is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short". To escape this chaos, individuals use their reason to seek peace and security. They enter into a social contract by collectively agreeing to transfer their right of self-governance to a sovereign—the "Leviathan"—in exchange for protection.123

Key features of Hobbes’s social contract include:
* Absolute Authority: The sovereign’s power is absolute and undivided, as it is the only way to effectively enforce the contract and prevent a return to anarchy.23
* Conditional Obligation: While subjects must obey the sovereign, the contract is predicated on the sovereign's ability to provide safety. If the sovereign fails to protect the lives of the subjects, the obligation to obey may dissolve.123
* Non-Party Sovereign: The sovereign is not a party to the contract and makes no promises; they receive obedience as a gift in exchange for maintaining order.3