Copy of Social Contract Theory

Very important social studies concept

• -existance of government
• -foundations of democracies

Why do we need police officers?

1. To enforce the rules. 2. To allow us to trust that others won't take advantage of our cooperation.

What would life be like without police officers, judges, teachers, principals, soldiers, etc?

Hobbes was one of the first modern thinkers to consider this type of problem

Hobbes' State of Nature:

People:

-rational

-have equal maximal liberty - (sovereign over themselves)

-are selfish

-have right to take whatever they can, by any means

-can steal and kill to get stuff / survive

Environment:

-no institutions (schools, hospitals, religions, governments, police, military, economic, welfare, etc.

-no limits on behaviour

- scarce resources

Pretty negative / pessimistic

“they (people) are in that condition which is called war; and such a war as is of every man against every man”

“solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”.

People don't want to always fight and worry about being stolen from, hurt, or killed.

So how can people escape from the state of nature?

Maybe they can make a contract / deal!

e.g. I won't kill you if you won't kill me.

e.g. I'll give you these bananas if you'll give me that bread.

But remember the Prisoners' Dilemma!

State of Nature has no one to enforce the rules, and a cheater can gain advantage!

So how to escape if people are better off breaking agreements?

Rational people, who want to live without fear of stronger people, agree to create a sovereign!

Sovereign ruler, like a king

Sovereign country

Now people can cooperate in society happily, knowing that any cheaters / free riders will be punished.

They can build social institutions without fear that their work will be stolen or destroyed.

e.g. markets, schools, hospitals, etc.

Social contract is between the sovereign and the people.

It involves give and take.

People give up some rights, and take the guarantee of safety, order, and security.

Sovereign has the right to use force. He/she can hurt or kill people in order to enforce contracts and social rules.

In return for giving up some of our rights to the sovereign, he/she guarantees order, peace, and security.

Hobbes helps us answer a very important question:

Why do we need government?

Beyond Hobbes

Hobbes was a very smart man, but no one is perfect.

Can you see a flaw (problem) in his theory?

But what if the sovereign breaks the contract?

She/he has ultimate power, so why can't the sovereign steal and cheat and kill to gain advantage?!

We would need a second sovereign to enforce the social contract, but this leads to an endless cycle!

The solution comes from another important philosopher.

Locke starts with a different idea about human nature and the state of nature.

-People get along

-People cooperate

-People obey rules in the state of nature

But not perfect. Strong can still break the rules, take property and life.

In the state of nature, there's no one to stop them!

Therefore we still need an authority to guarantee us life, property, and freedom.

government

People entrust rights to the government, but don't give them up 100%.

Contract between government and people is ONLY valid if the government keeps its side.

Hobbes - we give up rights to sovereign

Locke - we entrust or LEND rights to sovereign

protest

civil disobediance

rebelling / revolting

If necessary, people have the right to remove the government, and put a new one in its place.

Locke also believed:

- People are sovereign

- Gov't is our servant

Strong gov't can ignore the people,

so we make sure it's not too strong to do this.

Using division of powers:

-Legislative

-Judiciary

-Administrative

American Revolution:

Locke had a big influence on the creators of the American democratic system.

Following Hobbes and Locke

Following Hobbes and Locke is another social contract thinker.

Rousseau had a different way of thinking about human nature and the state of nature.

He thought people lived peacefully, simply, honestly, and naively.

He lived in the Enlightenment period (18th century), or the Age of Reason.

Many believed that using reason civilization would continue to progress and improve peoples lives.

He thought differently. He saw progression to increase inequality.

Civilization was moving us away from the peaceful state of nature.

Therefore we should try to "return to the state of nature" by creating social structures that mirror it.

Very unequal,

lack of freedom

What can replace King/ruler if we remove them?

Rousseau thought the "General Will" could.

= what people want.

People's will can be the law.

b/c law reflects people's will (general will)

Allows people to be:

free

and

equal

b/c all are equal before the law

The rule of law is another extreemly important concept for our democracies today!

Summary

Hobbes - why we need gov't - to escape the state of nature, and the P.D.

Locke - Ideas of gov't as public servant, the right to resist gov't, and the division of powers;

How to solve the flaw in Hobbes' theory

Thomas Hobbes

John Locke

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Rousseau - the general will, and bringing freedom and equality through rule of law

Out of Hobbes, Locke's and Rousseau's conceptions of Human Nature and the State of Nature, which do you feel is most accurate?

Which do you believe more? Why? *Provide REAL LIFE examples to support your position.*

Social Contract Theory

Individuals compete over scarce resources.

Individuals fight to have or take resources.

The stronger or smarter can hurt, kill, or trick others and take their property. They can force others to do what they want.

But then someone stronger can come along and do the same thing to them.

No one is safe for long.

Can you summarize what these men contributed to social contract theory?

http://prezi.com/qsc-b1xyt1hr/social-contract-theory/

Recall:

Review:

Can someone explain Hobbes' version of Social Contract Theory?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

Hint:

Thomas Hobbes (1588 - 1679)

Presented an idea about what life would be like before government and social institutions.

Rule of Law:

Law

rules

Sovereign 3, etc

Humans

At the time:

Revolution:

Sovereign 2

Humans (e.g. the King)

Sovereign means having ultimate power.

Sovereign

Sovereign can enforce the contract by punishing or even killing the angry stick man!

Rule

Happy stick man can seek help from the sovereign

John Locke (1632 - 1704)

Humans (subjects)

Limited Resources

Angry stick man breaks the contract!

Scarce Resources

If the government doesn't behave properly, then the people have the right to resist;

b/c if gov't doesnt behave properly, then contract isn't valid!

People give up some of their natural rights to the sovereign. For example, the right to hurt or kill others.

Monopoly on Force

Locke's ideas important for democracy:

-right to rebel

-sovereignty of the people

-gov't as servant of the people

-division of powers

State of Nature:

Pre-social

Pre-moral

Civil Society

Social

Moral

Social Contract

The Sovereign

The People

So from Hobbes' starting point, the solution to the State of Nature is to get together, and create a sovereign, giving up your individual rights to force, and letting him/her enforce the rules!

Hobbes believed the sovereign should be very powerful, because he believed people were all selfish, and we need a strong power to keep us under control.

Contract?

Ha ha! Fool. No bread for you!

Bananas