Overview
The questions for you to consider are thus:
- What were the key new contributions to political thought (i.e. questions about divine right) which became necessary to explain and justify the modern democratic nation-state?
- Was the development of social contract theory in response to these developments and if so, which modern theorist represents the most developed form of social contract theory?
- What are the similarities/differences in the way that these four theorists conceptualize the social contract?
- Do the modern theorists succeed in their justifications and arguments that there is a moral superiority inherent within democracy when compared against other institutional arrangements, even in light of the criticisms of democracy put forward by the ancients?
To answer these questions, you must identify and discuss the theoretical requirements of the modern democratic nation-state, as shaped by Enlightenment-based, modern political thought. To do this, you should choose a representative sample of the following terms and use them to underpin your answer:
Body Politic Citizen/the Individual Common Good Community Human Nature Individualism
Justice/Law Polity/State Private Property Equality Power/Authority Reason
To answer this question, you must do the following:
- Be able to articulate the basic tenets of 'social contract' theory.
- Locate Machiavelli within the parameters of social contract theory.
- Select a meaningful combination of at least of enough of the terms listed above to make a convincing argument about the development of the body politic and/or social contract theory.
- To underpin your argument(s), you need to have selected quotes (and/or definition) from each philosopher pertaining to the terms chosen.