Democratic Theory Essay

The concept of democracy has developed through the theories that different personalities have created. Among the most notable individuals that gave substantial contribution to democracy are Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean Jacques Rousseau through their social contract theory. The social contract theory serves as a foundation in the establishment of the major tenets of democracy. The social contract theory of Thomas Hobbes is affected by his belief regarding human nature. Hobbes deems that people are living in a state of nature wherein each individual has a right to everything in the world. However, this could become chaotic as people have varying and often times conflicting interests. As such, this kind of situation will eventually lead to conflict. In relation to this, he asserts that people should surrender their natural rights to a sovereign authority that will be responsible in protecting them against a life that is â€Å"solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short† (Friend). He also states that the abuses of power by this sovereign authority should be accepted in exchange for peace (Friend). On the contrary, the social contract theory of John Locke is different from Hobbes as he believes that the state of nature is not a state without morality. It is pre-political as there is no civil authority or government, but it is not pre-moral because people are regarded as equal with one another in the state of nature and they are capable of discovering the law of nature, which is the basis of all morality. Individuals in this state of nature would come together and surrender their rights to the public power of a government in order for this body to punish those who transgress the law of nature. Another difference of Locke’s theory from Hobbes is that he does not believe that the abuses of power of a supreme authority should not be tolerated, rather the people has the right to reject an abusive government and return to the state of nature to be able to construct a better governing body (Friend). Jean Jacques Rousseau’s social contract theory is largely influenced by the enlightenment age as it was created during that time. Roseau asserts that humans are essentially free in the state of nature but the progress of civilization made people infringe upon the liberty of others through economic and social inequalities. In this sense, he believes that people should have an agreement to come together through the social pact wherein individual persons become collective in surrendering their individual rights and freedom and transfer it to a single body. This single body is composed of the people that are directed towards the common good of the people. As such, the government in Rousseau’s theory is authorized through the general will of the people, which is regarded as a direct form of democracy. His theory is different from Hobbes and Locke because of his idea of respecting the individual will and still allowing them to assemble themselves to form a general will that will embody all the people concerned (Friend). Despite the fact that democracy is regarded as one of the ideal forms of government, it still has its corresponding problems. One of the most notable dilemmas in a democratic system is that the minority is sometimes put in a disadvantageous position as the will of the majority reigns supreme. Another predicament is the ability of the people to vote for the right officials that they will elect in the government. Voting wisely requires people to have the necessary knowledge and ability to discern the right candidates that they will choose. However, this becomes difficult especially for countries where people are illiterate and could be easily influenced by propaganda (Haarsma and Kuchling). Works Cited Friend, Celeste. 2006. â€Å"Social Contract Theory. † The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 10 June 2009 . Haarsma, Loren. , and Kuchling, Andrew Mark. 10 February 1992. â€Å"Problems with Democracy. † 10 June 2009 .