Social Contract Theory

Catalog description

A central feature of states is that they can back up their commands with force. What makes the use of force wrong when wielded by individuals, but permissible when wielded by the state? What limits are there on the commands governments can give, or the force they can employ? Is it ever permissible to employ force in resistance to the state? One important perspective on these questions is social contract theory, which sees the legitimacy of the state as resting on consent. In this course, we will trace the history of social contract theory from its first rise and fall in the early modern period to its twentieth century revival, with an eye on how it answers the questions above, and how the answers it offers may be relevant to how we think about political issues today.