Introduction
Human life can be lonely and unpleasant if the individual lives it without uniting with anyone. Thomas Hobbes presented a substantial, elaborate theory of the social contract, which explained many of the principles of human interaction and association (Williams, n. d.). In addition, associations of people work for the good and allow their members to improve various aspects of their lives. At the same time, given the number of provisions on the social nature of a person, people actually feel much more comfortable in society. This position can be argued by the fact that many thinkers provided proof of such a thesis.
Background Information
That people are distressed implies that they live without social contracts and adequate governance. In this case, chaos may inevitably occur because people’s actions will not be controlled and will not be directed toward any specific goal. This will make them meaningless and wrong in terms of the public good. To define such a state, Hobbes introduces the concept of “war of all against all,” which means that each person is driven by their own interests (Borinshtein et al., 2021).
This is because people cannot manage their lives if they are not part of society (McCombs School of Business, 2018). To avoid the described state, Hobbes “develops the contractual theory of the origin of the state and the concept of justice based on the selfish essence of man” (Borinshtein et al., 2021, p. 257). The question of the natural state of human life is essential because it allows us to study in more detail all aspects of Hobbes’ philosophy and why the social contract theory is necessary.
Mutual Protection and Shared Resources
The concept of motives is the first reason to support the need for people to organize into societies to create a better country. People can be driven by various motives acquired in life and formed under certain circumstances. In this regard, people need several factors to unite in society, such as mutual protection and shared resources. Thus, it can be said that the state of confrontation will be unlevelled since “Except for a mutual fight, their payoffs would be equal to the amount of the fully transferable resource that they would acquire” (Kaminski, 2022, p. 487).
At the same time, social groups can bring the same benefits to all people, both inside and outside. This is provided in the first case at the expense of the benefits shared from the various resources that the group extracts. In the second case, the benefits can be delivered through a competitive environment where everyone will be forced to develop. Due to this, they will be able to better and more efficiently extract social resources, ultimately improving their situation.
This may be because such a social state of enmity, when people unite, can bring certain benefits. An expected objection, however, would be that the losing side would receive significantly fewer resources. This is refuted by the concept of mutual protection and shared resources imply enough for everyone with a difference in quality (Kaminski, 2022). In this way, unification can be achieved and lead to quality results. People are forced to organize themselves in societies by a sense of sociality that is common to all.
Social Contract
Because Hobbes’ main argument is that people are vulnerable, weak, and cannot be fully realized without unification, it is crucial to consider the theory of social contracts. This will help to understand what alternatives Hobbes sees for the state of loneliness. John Locke also adhered to the social contract theory, which “looks at how individuals can exercise rights and freedoms under the influence of the government” (Basilaia, 2019, p. 35). Thus, he justified the importance of creating a state to protect the rights of people and more institutionalized contracts that are concluded in society. Providing sufficient confidence that the system will work would not be possible without this aspect.
At the same time, a possible objection to Hobbes could be excessive abuse of power in the event of the emergence of a belief in tyranny. Unchecked power can provoke oppression and the oppression of people’s rights in society. To this argument, Hobbes replies that the natural state of society is much more dangerous and can incriminate society much more (Seabright et al., 2021). Thus, one can be sure that the social contract remains relevant and confirms its need today.
Social Stability
A third reason grouping is necessary for humans is that it provides the stability and order necessary for social progress. The structuring of society can have a significant positive impact on enabling people to more actively pursue their goals and aspirations through the tools of the social contract. Thus, without implementing the rule of law, it will be impossible to build a structure in society that can provide people with sufficient comfort and security. Support for this theory can be found in Kant’s thoughts: “autonomous agents adhere to the moral law they give themselves” (Kogelmann, 2019, p. 615). Thus, moral regulation can be a mandatory component of governance and unification.
An expected objection to these arguments would be that Hobbes’s focus on the social order oppresses individual freedom. Different people may perceive the social contract as favorable than it seems to the thinker, and in this regard, disagreements and unrest can arise. However, this argument can be refuted by the fact that Hobbes’ focus on the social contract does not negate the need and importance of the presence of different points of view on any problems (Ioan, 2021).
Pluralism of opinion plays a vital role in justifying the necessity and importance of the institution of treaties. In this way, people will better accept that the established power does not oppress their opinions. At the same time, stability will be maintained, and relations between individuals in society will be constantly maintained. The social contract theory explains the emergence of society and ethics by justifying the importance of why people cannot exist alone.
Conclusion
The Hobbesian perspective that reveals the importance of the social contract is that humans are social beings who cannot live independently. Without uniting into groups or societies, individuals cannot cope with complex problems, which can be external and internal threats. Public organizations can give meaning and indicate a common goal that will become a guide for people in their progress. Socialization and unification are imperative for creating a government that can effectively manage the country and guide people to help solve their problems. Thus, Hobbes’ idea of social cohesion and contracts is relevant and allows people to abide by certain rules.
References
Basilaia, T. (2019). John Locke’s concept of natural rights and why it is important today. Cevro Institute. Web.
Borinshtein, Y., Stovpets, O., Kukshinova, O., Kisse, A., & Kucherenko, N. (2021). Phenomena of freedom and justice in the interpretations of T. Hobbes and J. Locke. Amazonia Investiga, 10(42), 255-263. Web.
Ioan, R. (2021). Potentia: Hobbes and Spinoza on power and popular politics. Global Intellectual History, 6(2), 231-237. Web.
Kaminski, M. M. (2022). Games prisoners do not play: against the Hobbes-Zimbardo approach of unmitigated prison violence. Journal of institutional economics, 18(3), 483-500. Web.
Kogelmann, B. (2019). Kant, Rawls, and the Possibility of Autonomy. Social Theory and Practice, 613-635. Web.
McCombs School of Business. (2018). Social Contract Theory | Ethics Defined [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Seabright, P., Stieglitz, J., & Van der Straeten, K. (2021). Evaluating social contract theory in the light of evolutionary social science. Evolutionary Human Sciences, 3, e20. Web.
Williams, G. (n. d.). Thomas Hobbes: Moral and political philosophy. IEP. Web.