Social Contract Theory and Legitimacy: From History to Modern Times
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18063/eir.v3i3.850Keywords:
Social contract theory, Political legitimacy, Modern politicsAbstract
As a core theory of Western political philosophy, social contract theory shapes the foundation of Western political systems and plays an important role in understanding the sources of state power and the construction of government legitimacy. This article explores the relationship between social contract theory and political legitimacy and analyzes the evolution of ideas from history to modern times. Through the viewpoints of classic social contract theorists such as Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau, this paper constructs the legitimacy basis that government power originates from the consent of the people. At the same time, the paper explores the influence of contract theory during the Enlightenment period on the American Declaration of Independence and the French Revolution, and discusses John Rawls’ reconstruction of modern contract theory, as well as the challenges posed by feminist and environmental ethics. Social contract theory has not only shaped political legitimacy in history but also demonstrated its lasting vitality and broad application prospects in contemporary political and ethical issues.
References
Jing JY, 2024, Inheritance and Rebellion: A Dialogue Between “The Interpretation of the People’s Covenant” and “The Social Contract”. Yichun University Journal, 2024(11): 86–93.
Hobbes T, 1985, Leviathan, translated by Li Sifu and Li Tingbi. Commercial Press, Beijing, 120.
Rawls J, 1988, A Theory of Justice: Preface, translated by He Huaigong. China Social Sciences Press, Beijing, 1.
Lu JS, 2019, Critique of Locke’s Liberal Contract Theory by Pettman’s Gender Contract Theory, thesis, University of International Business and Economics.
Li HJ, 2024, Critique of Modern Western Social Contract Theory by “Das Kapital”. Philosophy Research, 2024(9): 14–21.
Xu G, 2024, On Value Conflicts: An Analysis Based on Social Contract Theory. Daqing Social Sciences, 2024(1): 65–69.
Wang YK, 2023, The Social Contract”: What Does Rousseau Really Want to Say? Secondary School History Teaching Reference, 2023(17): 61–63.
Zhang L, 2023, Ethical Regulation of Social Media Privacy Protection from the Perspective of Social Contract Theory. Media Forum, 2023(6): 36–39.
Liu QP, 2023, Deep Paradox Analysis of Rousseau’s “The Social Contract”. Academic World, 2023(2): 27–36.
Fan GX, 2022, People-Oriented and People’s Covenant: Liu Shippei’s Interpretation of Rousseau’s Social Contract Theory. Chinese Philosophy History, 2022(6): 116–122.
