Thread: Can someone explain John Lockes Social Contract Theory?

From: Kineth | #005 You give up some rights to get more from the government. Locke's social contract theory came from Hobbes' and I'm not exactly sure which rights he said were inalienable. Either Hobbes or Locke said the rights were the right to life, the right to liberty and the right to property. We subbed the last one for the pursuit of happiness in the Declaration of Independence. Whole point is that you and the government...

Either Hobbes or Locke said the rights were the right to life, the right to liberty and the right to property. That was Locke. Hobbes argued that you surrendered ALL your rights to the sovereign except the right to protect your life from them.

lol no prob

Don't tell him what he can't do.

That's sounds just about right. This is outlined in his work of Civil Government and also Human something I forget. As for Hobbes, I didn't know he thought about protecting the right of your life against the state. I always thought he was like Machiavelli where there should only be a few that rule and that people should be controlled. I remember seeing a pic of Hobbes as a symbol of some Leviathan(maybe he wanted to be revered that...

You give up rights like that of going around beating up people or to not pay taxes in exchange for security of your property and self. Most political philosophical arguments are about what the rights and forms of security are.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_contract#John_Locke.27s_Second_Treatise_of_Government_.281689.29