John Locke explained a "social contract" is
a belief that government has final authority over citizens
an agreement that all people have the right to life, liberty, and property***
an agreement between citizens and their government
a belief that government should be dived into three branches
That's not what I understand about Locke's ideas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_contract#John_Locke.27s_Second_Treatise_of_Government_.281689.29
Is it a belief that government should be dived into three branches. I guess it would be that after i read the link you gave me.
I saw nothing about the three branches in that article,
From the above article:
"John Locke's Second Treatise of Government (1689)[edit]
John Locke's conception of the social contract differed from Hobbes' in several fundamental ways, retaining only the central notion that persons in a state of nature would willingly come together to form a state. Locke believed that individuals in a state of nature would be bound morally, by The Law of Nature, not to harm each other in their lives or possession, but without government to defend them against those seeking to injure or enslave them, people would have no security in their rights and would live in fear. Locke argued that individuals would agree to form a state that would provide a "neutral judge", acting to protect the lives, liberty, and property of those who lived within it.
While Hobbes did argue thus for near-absolute authority, Locke argued for inviolate freedom under law in his Second Treatise of Government. Locke argued that government's legitimacy comes from the citizens' delegation to the government of their right of self-defense (of "self-preservation"). The government thus acts as an impartial, objective agent of that self-defense, rather than each man acting as his own judge, jury, and executioner—the condition in the state of nature. In this view, government derives its "just powers from the consent [i.e, delegation] of the governed,".
an agreement between citizens and their government
right?
Right.
Next time, please read your text before you post your guesses.
OK and sorry + thanks!
You're welcome. :-)
John Locke explained that a "social contract" is an agreement that all people have the right to life, liberty, and property.
To understand this concept further, let's break it down. John Locke was an influential philosopher during the Enlightenment period, known for his theories on political philosophy. One of his most important ideas was the concept of the social contract. The term "social contract" refers to the implicit agreement between individuals and their government.
According to Locke, this agreement is based on the principle that all individuals are entitled to certain fundamental rights. These include the right to life, liberty, and property. Locke believed that individuals possess these rights inherently, and they are not granted by the government. The purpose of the government, then, is to protect these rights and ensure the well-being of its citizens.
Locke argued that if a government fails to fulfill its obligation of protecting these rights, the citizens have the right to rebel against that government and establish a new one that serves their interests better. This idea of the social contract emphasizes the reciprocal relationship between the individuals and the government, where both sides have certain responsibilities and rights.
In summary, John Locke explained that the "social contract" is an agreement between individuals and their government, with the understanding that all people have the right to life, liberty, and property.