How is the idea of a social contract related to natural rights?
a. A social contract protects people’s natural rights by having citizens give up some individual freedoms.
b. A social contract preserves natural rights by returning society to a state of nature.
c. A social contract codifies natural rights into law by making it part of the Constitution.
d. A social contract takes away people’s natural rights by eliminating all individual freedoms.
A social contract takes away people’s natural rights by eliminating all individual freedoms.
This statement is not accurate. Option a is the correct answer: "A social contract protects people’s natural rights by having citizens give up some individual freedoms."
The concept of a social contract, as originally theorized by philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, suggests that individuals enter into a mutually agreed-upon contract with their government or society. In this contract, individuals agree to give up certain freedoms and abide by certain laws in exchange for protection and the preservation of their natural rights.
The social contract does not aim to eliminate all individual freedoms, but rather to establish a framework in which individual rights are protected and respected within society. It provides a balance between individual liberty and a secure and orderly society.
Therefore, the correct answer is a, not d.