The idea of the social contract goes back at least to Epicurus. (notes) (b 204?) Thomas Hobbes (/ h ɒ b z / HOBZ; sometimes known as Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury; 5 April 1588 – 4 December 1679) was an English philosopher, considered to be one of the founders of modern political philosophy. Once again, Thomas Hobbes stated that people need a strong government that can protect their natural rights and liberties, and more importantly protect them from each other. As a return, people have to engage in a social contract with the government. It stated that common security should be favored and that a bit of individual liberty should be sacrificed by each person to achieve it. Thomas Hobbes, 1588-1679, lived during the most crucial period of early modern England’s history: the English Civil War, waged from 1642-1648. Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) was a philosopher and royalist, educated at Oxford. The most influential social-contract theorists were the 17th–18th century philosophers Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Philosopher Thomas Hobbes believed that because people are fundamentally selfish, life in the state of nature would be “nasty, brutish and short”. Hobbes called this agreement the “social contract.” Hobbes believed that a government headed by a king was the best form that the sovereign could take. The first modern philosopher to articulate a detailed contract theory was Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679). acting only with the "consent of the governed", this influenced the U.S constitution. Thomas Hobbes concept of the social contract is the enduring contribution to legal and political philosophy. According to social contract theory (SCT), “morality consists in the set of rules governing behavior, that rational people would accept, on the condition that others accept them as well.” (Rachels, p. 145) Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) “A State of Nature” = anarchy 2. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde After Kant, the idea largely fell into disrepute until it was resurrected by John Rawls. Modern Social Contract Theory a. Thomas Hobbes. The term "social contract" can be found as far back as the writings of the 4th-5th century BCE Greek philosopher Plato. Hobbes hoped to establish similar laws of motion to explain the behavior of human beings, but he was more impressed by Galileo and Kepler’s mathematical precision than by their use of empirical data and observation. He also believed that people let themselves be ruled by dictators and kings because they make society more orderly and stable. According to Hobbes, the lives of individuals in the state of nature were "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short", a state in which self-interest and the absence of rights and contracts prevented the "social", or society. ‎ > ‎Thomas Hobbes Ideas and Major Works‎ > ‎ ... His social contract theory established that a government should serve and protect all the people in the society. Thomas Hobbes devised the Social Contract theory in the 17th Century. However, they are both completely different in terms of their stand and conclusions in several laws of nature. The English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) is best known for his political thought, and deservedly so. 2.9 Social Contract Theory Social contract theory is another descriptive theory about society and the relationship between rules and laws, and why society needs them. He became famous when his book, “Leviathan,” laid the foundation of … Portrait of Thomas Hobbes by John Michael Wright circa 1669-1670. To protect us from inevitable anarchy, Thomas Hobbes argued, we need a leader and protector, whose position is governed by a contract with the people. Concisely, Hobbes’s social contract is a method of trading liberty for safety. Thomas Hobbes: Moral and Political Philosophy. Some people believe that if we live according to a social contract, we can live morally by our own choice and not because a divine being requires it. Placing all power in the hands of a king would mean more resolute and consistent exercise of political authority, Hobbes argued. Social contract, in political philosophy, an actual or hypothetical compact, or agreement, between the ruled and their rulers, defining the rights and duties of each. Portrait of Thomas Hobbes by John Michael Wright circa 1669-1670. However, it was English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) who expanded on the idea when he wrote "Leviathan," his philosophical response to the English Civil War.In the book, he wrote that in early human history there was no government. Once again, Thomas Hobbes stated that people need a strong government that can protect their natural rights and liberties, and more importantly protect them from each other. Hobbes hoped to arrive at his laws of motion deductively, in … 2.9 Social Contract Theory Social contract theory is another descriptive theory about society and the relationship between rules and laws, and why society needs them. ‎ > ‎Thomas Hobbes Ideas and Major Works‎ > ‎ ... His social contract theory established that a government should serve and protect all the people in the society. His vision of the world is strikingly original and still relevant to contemporary politics. National Portrait Gallery, London Though Hobbes and Locke lived in roughly the same period and witnessed much of the same events, their careers took them on drastically different paths that had a … Subpages (1): Works Cited. The social contract begins with the idea of a state of nature – the way human beings would exist in the world if they weren’t part of a society. Thomas Hobbes (/ h ɒ b z / HOBZ; sometimes known as Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury; 5 April 1588 – 4 December 1679) was an English philosopher, considered to be one of the founders of modern political philosophy. Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher, believed that people are naturally selfish and cruel, and governments are needed to protect them from each other. Thomas Hobbes, 1588-1679, lived during the most crucial period of early modern England’s history: the English Civil War, waged from 1642-1648. Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher from Malmesbury. According to social contract theory (SCT), “morality consists in the set of rules governing behavior, that rational people would accept, on the condition that others accept them as well.” (Rachels, p. 145) Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) “A State of Nature” = anarchy Social contract theory played crucial role in enhancing an idea that, political mandate must be derived upon the government consent therefore, it is mainly associated with political and moral theory as it is depicted by Thomas Hobbes. The Laws of Nature and the Social Contract. Suggestions. Hobbes is best known for his 1651 book Leviathan, in which he expounds an influential formulation of social contract theory. It stated that common security should be favored and that a bit of individual liberty should be sacrificed by each person to achieve it. Hobbes, English political philosopher best known for his 1651 book Leviathan, in which he expounds an influential of... 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