Answer:
Explanation:
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) introduced the idea of the social contract into modern philosophy. Hobbes believed kings should have strong power, but did not see that power being bestowed on them directly by God. Rather, he viewed having governments as an arrangement people entered into as a way of having better security and stability for their lives.
John Locke (1632-1704) is often seen as the philosopher who began the Enlightenment era in philosophical thought. Locke also argued for the idea of a "social contract." According to Locke's view, a government's power to govern comes from the consent of the people themselves -- those who are to be governed. This was a change from the previous ideas of "divine right monarchy" -- that a king ruled because God appointed him to be the ruler. Locke repudiated the views of divine right monarchy in his First Treatise on Civil Government. Then, in his Second Treatise on Civil Government, Locke argued for the rights of the people to create their own governments according to their own desires and for the sake of protecting their own life, liberty, and property.
Other Enlightenment philosophers followed the new pattern of political thought begun by Locke. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), in his landmark book, The Social Contract, strongly championed the sovereignty of the people (rather than thinking of kings as the "sovereign" ones). Rousseau contended that the "general will" of the people is always right -- in the sense that the people will, collectively, make decisions that are good for them as a society.
