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34 Examples of the Social Contract

John Spacey, updated on January 08, 2025

The social contract is a conceptual framework used to model the relationship between the individual and society whereby individuals give up some freedoms in exchange for the benefits of living in an ordered society. This is the foundation for modern political systems based on constitutional law and elected governments. The following are illustrative examples of the social contract.

Voting	Democracy
Constitutional freedoms	Freedom of speech
Freedom of expression	Personal sovereignty
Freedom of religion	Freedom of assembly
Right to privacy	Legal rights
Economic rights	Freedom of movement
Equal protection under the law	Right to education
Right to vote	Right to run for political office
Right to a fair trial	Protection under the law
Laws	Taxes
Regulations	Civic duty
Government authority	Jury duty
Census participation	Administrative requirements such as a need to register births and obtain government identification
Corporate social responsibility	Consumer protection
Environmental protection	Social safety net
Government services	Political rights
Emergency measures that override freedoms	International agreements

The obligations of people under a social contract generally include paying taxes, obeying the law and civic duty. In some cases, these obligations extend further into areas such as conscription and mandatory military service.

The benefits of society include things such as social stability, economic opportunity, protections under the law, freedoms guaranteed by constitutions, social safety net and government services such as education. In some countries, government services extend into many areas and include things such as free or low cost healthcare.

Corporations and other organizations can also be viewed as having obligations under the social contract in exchange for access to operate in a nation. For example, in order to access markets a firm must comply with environmental regulations.

The social contract gets quite complex in grey areas that feel less than democratic such as international agreements are are arguably more influenced by elites than electorates. Another area of contention is the ability of governments to suspend rights and freedoms for emergencies and what constitutes a true emergency.

Criticism

A state, is called the coldest of all cold monsters. Coldly lieth it also; and this lie creepeth from its mouth: "I, the state, am the people."
It is a lie!
― Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

The social contract is viewed as the primary philosophical justification for society. It simply states that individuals must give up some elements of their freedom in exchange for the many benefits of living in society.

This sounds reasonable enough but has the problem that there is no choice on the part of the individual to enter this contract nor can they opt out.

There are pragmatic reasons for this as you can't have people simply stating that laws and taxes don't apply to them. However, if there is a weakness in the idea of the social contract, this is it. If you want to be an anarchist, society is going to say no. In theory, you could use your vote to change the entire system, but you can't opt out as an individual.

Societies are perhaps inevitable and beneficial but there is no denying that even their most basic philosophical justification is a little oppressive from the perspective of the individual.

Next: Examples of Society

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