Which Social Contract Related Ideas of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau are Applicable and Valid Today and Why?

John Locke’s Social Contract Related Ideas

John Locke was one of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers because despite living in the 18^th century, he presented revolutionary ideas which are exercised in most modern societies, some of which are the representative government, checks and balances, distribution of power among the governmental branches, human rights, and limited power of the state over its citizens (Gauthier, 1977). Locke’s answers to the fundamental questions asked by the social contract theory are the following. Humans are born freely and equally and their natural rights should be protected with no exception. However, as some people may attempt to violate the natural rights of others (right to life, liberty, and property), there was a need to form governments to ensure the protection of natural rights through getting into a social contract (Gauthier, 1977). Furthermore, Locke stated that people should submit limited power to the ruler, whose job should be to protect the natural rights of individuals. However, if he gets corrupted or fails at protecting the natural rights, then people hold the power to start a revolutionary war to get rid of him and assign a new representative (Gauthier, 1977). In this theory, Locke indeed defend the fair power distribution between people and government – which is also practiced in modern representative democracies. However, today people use elections to get rid of the failing ruler instead of starting a bloody war against him. While Hobbes did not like revolutions at all and defended the absolute monarchy for preventing revolutions, Locke supported the idea that if a ruler does not protect the natural rights of individuals, he should be overthrown with a revolution. Such thinking has influenced the revolutionaries in the 18^th century and the effects of Locke’s philosophy can especially be felt in the American War of Independence, which took place to get rid of the colonies and establish the United States.