In
moral and
political philosophy, the
social contract or
political contract is a theory or model, originating during the
Age of Enlightenment, that typically addresses the questions of the origin of society and the legitimacy of the authority of the
state over the
individual. The world's earliest version of the social contract theory is however found in the 2nd Century BC text of earlier Buddhism,
Mahavastu. Social contract arguments typically posit that individuals have consented, either explicitly or
tacitly, to surrender some of their freedoms and submit to the authority of the ruler or magistrate (or to the decision of a majority), in exchange for protection of their remaining
rights. The question of the relation between
natural and legal rights, therefore, is often an aspect of social contract theory.
The Social Contract (Du contrat social ou Principes du droit politique) is also the short title of a 1762 book by
Jean-Jacques Rousseau on this topic.