The Social Contract Theory - Essay Example

15 November Assignment The Social Contract Theory s that individuals came together in order to form a contract by way of which they could form a union of a State under the rules of which they could live together in peace by maintain order and stability. There were various political philosophers to have propounded the Social Contract Theory, three of which were Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau. Hobbes’ and Locke’s views on the social contract were contrary to one another because they had varying views on governance. Hobbes’ views of the theory were laid down against the backdrop of the Civil War in 1665 in his magnum opus, ‘Leviathan’ meaning sea monster. According to Hobbes, society was extremely gloomy at the time and an individual lived a life which was ‘solitary, nasty, brutish, poor, short.’ Thus, he stated that for an individual to get out of such a condition, it was necessary to establish an absolute monarchy by way of the social contract so that the monarch power could take control of the state and provide the individuals with some sort of solace. John Locke on the other hand, preached that constitutional monarchy was necessary and people came together to form the social contract because they wanted to establish a judiciary and so that they could live by the laws and regulations settled by the same judicial power. The state was thus given the entire right to protect the rights of the individuals. However, in Hobbes’ case, it was the king that was the sovereign individual that would rule over the land and would have its command habitually obeyed by the people. In Locke’s case however, people would have their own freedom because they would form a democratic polity by way of coming together. Governance in both cases is about controlling the nature of the state that prevailed at the time in order to bring about a sense of clarity and order in the way by which people lived. However, it must be understood that governing a state does not only involve controlling the bad aspects of the state. The state is formed by people because they require a singular authority to tell them how to behave in different situations. This might not necessarily only include the bad aspects because the state also controls the good nature of the human beings. Governance is thus about both because the state is the sovereign power that has a hold over the safety and security of its citizens. Since it is a sovereign authority or command of the sovereign, it is being obeyed by the people and thus it becomes the function of the state to ensure that whatever it is that people are obeying is for their betterment or societal welfare. Therefore, the state must have controlled power in order to protect the citizens because otherwise since it is a sovereign command, it might get overthrown as was seen in the French Revolution, when Rousseau stated his theory of the social contract. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr preached the use of non violence as opposed to Malcolm X. Malcolm X was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist who indicted white racists against their qualms towards the black people. He used self defence as a weapon against those that had terminated his dreams of living a peaceful life. Non violent resistance can be an effective tool for social change because it teaches people how to listen to things with a calm mind and not get violent or irritated about whatever is happening around oneself. Being non violent is not a very easy task and Gandhi and Luther both preached the same to people and told them that cowards will never be able to take on the path of non violence. Only when people are willing to listen to each other with a calm mind and come up with solutions without beating each other up or resorting to violent methods, will they be able to muster enough courage to bring about social change. Gandhi practised non violence with farmers of Champaran Bihar where he first asked them to quietly resist the British on the Indigo plantations by refusing to pay taxes and remaining silent. Other instances also include examples like his train ride in Africa where he was thrown out because of the difference in his skin colour. Martin Luther King Jr has also faced a number of similar incidents on the basis of skin colour and racism where he had been disallowed to enter places and participate in public matters. A change can only be brought about within society when people are willing to accept differences and understand that it is time to listen to others and spread love and affection instead of hatred and animosity. Against the backdrop of Indian independence, Gandhi taught Indians how to resort to non violent means in order to get their work done and teach the British a silent lesson of ‘satyagraha’. Both these leaders were able to gain followers because their path to resistance proved to be more popular than adopting a violent means of living. Being violent involved people getting into fights and shedding blood for reasons which could have been spoken about and discussed. Gandhi and King were able to attract followers because people began to understand that non violence was a weapon of the strong willed and determined sections of society. It was not easy for people to remain silent and control their emotions while trying to win a conflict with someone else who was not willing to cede to their demands. People usually get caught up in conflicts of some or the other kind and their methods of trying to convince people are very aggressive. Thus, non violence should be used so that people are able to control their anger and make the other party understand what they want. This is indeed a very healthy form of decision making and conflict solving. Thus, Gandhi and Martin Luther helped people to meditate and understand the power of such silent resistance and it finally did help in bringing about social change because people began to understand and accept it more than resorting to violent means for fighting and getting what they wanted. Works Cited . Read More