Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How did social-contract theory change ideas about the purpose of government?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Enlightenment
The search for knowledge never endsābut it started somewhere.
Social-contract theory fundamentally shifted the purpose of government from a divinely sanctioned or absolute authority to a tool created by the rational consent of individuals to serve specific human needs. By framing the state as a product of a hypothetical agreement, Enlightenment thinkers redefined political legitimacy based on individual self-interest and the protection of rights.123
The purpose of government varied among key theorists:
- Thomas Hobbes: Argued that the primary purpose of government is to provide collective security and physical safety. By surrendering their natural liberty to an absolute sovereign, individuals escape the "war of all against all" inherent in the state of nature.412
- John Locke: Proposed that government exists to protect pre-social natural rights, specifically life, liberty, and property. Unlike Hobbes, Locke argued that if a government fails to protect these rights, it violates the contract, justifying revolution.125
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Viewed the state as a moral entity that should embody the "general will," aiming for the common good and the preservation of equality and liberty among citizens.12
Ultimately, this theory established that political authority is not inherent but conditional, resting on the consent of the governed.23