What did Locke argue about the human nature?
According to Locke, the natural condition of mankind is a state of nature characterized by human freedom and equality. People voluntarily give government some of their power through a social contract in order to protect their natural rights of life, liberty, and property.
What is the importance of social contract theory?
Specifically for law enforcement, social contract theory is important to justify the power that law enforcement can exert over the population as a whole (Evans and MacMillan, 2014). The power imbalance, held by law enforcement, is part of the contract that society has agreed upon in exchange for security.
What does Rousseau say in the social contract?
The Social Contract, with its famous opening sentence ‘Man is born free, and he is everywhere in chains’, stated instead that people could only experience true freedom if they lived in a civil society that ensured the rights and well-being of its citizens.
What is Rousseau’s concept of the general will?
General will, in political theory, a collectively held will that aims at the common good or common interest. In Du Contrat social (1762; The Social Contract), Rousseau argued that freedom and authority are not contradictory, since legitimate laws are founded on the general will of the citizens.
How does Rousseau define the social contract?
The agreement with which a person enters into civil society. The contract essentially binds people into a community that exists for mutual preservation. Rousseau believes that only by entering into the social contract can we become fully human. …