COMPARISION OF THE THEORY OF SOCIAL CONTRACT OF
THOMAS HOBBES, JOHN LOCKE AND JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU
1. Hobbes asserts that without subjection to a common power of their rights and
freedoms, men are necessarily at war. Locke and Rousseau, on the contrary, set
forth the view that the state exists to preserve and protect the natural rights of
its citizens. When governments fail in that task, citizens have the right and
sometimes the duty to withdraw their support and even to rebel.
2. Hobbes view was that whatever the state does is just. All of society is a direct
creation of the state, and a reflection of the will of the ruler. According to Locke,
the only important role of the state is to ensure that justice is seen to be done.
While Rousseau view is that the State must in all circumstance ensure freedom
and liberty of individuals.
3. Hobbes theory of Social Contract supports absolute sovereign without giving any
value to individuals, while Locke and Rousseau supports individual than the
state or the government.
4. To Hobbes, the sovereign and the government are identical but Rousseau makes
a distinction between the two. He rules out a representative form of government.
But, Locke does not make any such distinction.
5. Rousseau╆s view of sovereignty was a compromise between the
constitutionalism of Locke and absolutism of Hobbes.