Definitions

Social contract theory says that people live together in society in

accordance with an agreement that establishes moral and political
rules of behavior. Some people believe that if we live according to a
social contract, we can live morally by our own choice and not
because a divine being requires it
A social contract is an implicit agreement between the people and
their government about what each side provides to the other. The
terms of the agreement can vary widely
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The Social Contract is a political piece of writing that serves as a
pylon for the democracies of today, as it theorizes the elements of a
free state where people agree to coexist with each other under the
rules of a common body that represents the general will.
Why is it important
The social contract is unwritten, and is inherited at birth. It dictates
that we will not break laws or certain moral codes and, in exchange,
we reap the benefits of our society, namely security, survival,
education and other necessities needed to live.
that it instills a sense of civic duty among the individual in relation to
society as a whole, that it creates a sense of community instead of
isolated instances of individuals under a single government or ruler,
and that it establishes basic, inalienable rules
What are the problems with Social
Contracts
Problems with the social contract theory include the following: It
gives government too much power to make laws under the guise of
protecting the public. Specifically, governments may use the cloak of
the social contract to invoke the fear of a state of nature to warrant
laws that are intrusive.
What are the features
A social contract establishes civil society. With a social
contract the people trade personal freedom for social and
political order. The people do surrender some freedoms to
authority, but they do so voluntarily in exchange for
protection of their remaining freedoms as well as the
promise of services from government