Social Contract Theory

The writers of the Constitution (hereafter referred to as the framers or founders) were well read individuals. They were familiar with the works of British philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, who wrote at different times justifying the change of the monarchs in Britain. Although each saw the resulting government differently, both saw government as a social contract – an agreement between the people and the sovereign (monarch or those vested with the authority to govern).

Thomas Hobbes wrote The Leviathan in 1660 after Britain had suffered through a bloody civil war which ended in the beheading of King Charles I in 1649. The civil war  was followed by the Puritan dictatorship led by Oliver Cromwell and eventually the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. It was in this political climate that Hobbes wrote The Leviathan to justify the return of the monarch King Charles II.

In The Leviathan, Hobbes describes man in his natural states (that is, without government) and gives three reasons for men to quarrel. You can find those reasons in the excerpt from Hobbles. What are they?

Competition, Diffidence, Glory

Audio: The Natural State

Click the play button ( ) below to listen and read along to this selection as Hobbes describes Man’s condition and reason for the Social Contract. Be sure to set your volume at a reasonable level before you begin.

According to Hobbes, what was the condition in the natural state that required government? Record this thought in your notes for later discussion.