Locke vs Rousseau (Social Contract Philosophers Compared)

Hobbes vs. Locke: Thomas Hobbes and John Locke:  Two Ph...

John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau were both social contract theorists whose theories were widely read during the Enlightenment. They had some points of agreement, given that they did not agree with Thomas Hobbes' view that humans are inherently contentious and murderous by nature. They also agreed that the political community offers advantages over the state of nature and that the people do not give up their sovereignty by entering into the social contract.

Where Locke and Rousseau disagree is chiefly about the nature of freedom and whether private property existed in the state of nature. The disagreements between Locke and Rousseau on these points created significantly different understandings of the social contract. Locke's social contract is based on giving up specific rights in order to maintain the rest, while Rousseau's involves entering into a proto-socialist community with a government based on the general will.

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