The Practicality of the Social Contract Essay -- Sociology, Society, G

I.) IntroductionSocietys structure has been debated and contested as far back as ancient Greece. Since then, valet has developed tender systems that greatly differ from anything the ancients had in mind. One such system is the companionable gravel theory, which first came to prominence around the time of the enlightenment. Simplified, social contractarians argued that in order to achieve a balanced and stable society, all of its members mustiness sacrifice certain liberties to a government or similar authority. As Rousseau explains, the contract begins when Each of us places his person and all his power in common under the supreme direction of the general will (148). Essentially, it is an sympathy amidst the rulers and the ruled that produces a stable governmental state. John Lockes The Second Treatise of Government and Jean-Jacques Rousseaus The Social Contract are both enlightenment works that detail contractarianism, yet each has a funny and different way of considering t he social contract. Although John Stuart Mill is as well know for his work with Utilitarianism, his essay On Liberty considers consent and other issues relating to contract theory. These authors provide different insights into the social contract, and frequently unrivaled will winnow out anothers imagination and offer a new solution. horizontal after this meshing of themes and solutions, contract theory falls short of practicality. The idea is appealing, appearing on the surface as a fair and except way of governance. However, true liberty seatnot arise from a contract, as macrocosm cannot be forced to be free (150). There are deuce fundamental flaws with contractarianism it is not practical and it ignores human nature, and even if were possible to take a crap a true contract-based society, the citi... ...tract theory does raise additional questions. Rousseau envisioned a society in which every voice was heard. A solution to this impracticality is the idea of representati onsomething which Locke advocated for in The Second Treatise. The idea makes sense have one person represent a group of people to improve functionality. However, how can a man fully represent an entire groups interest? Surely there must be some differences between the representative and those he represents. If that is the case, can one call that justice? The man already relinquished certain rights by accepting the contract. With representation, he also gives up his right to full participation in the system. Despite this job and the other issues with contractarianism, this theory served as a foundation for the American political system and continues to inspire political ideologies worldwide.