Social Contract Theory

One theory about how political authority can arise is social contract theory. According to social contract theory, consent is the basis of government. It is because people have agreed to be ruled that governments are entitled to rule.

Social contract theorists envisage a transation from a state of nature to a state of government. Individuals come together and form contracts which serve their interests, and these contracts establish rule. Social contract theory has recently been restored to the fore of political philosophy by John Rawls, whose version of the state of nature is the original position.