Social Contract Theory

964 Words4 Pages
Many States interfere with the private lives of their people. This essentially means that States intervene with the personal choices of individuals and invade their people’s privacy. This has been opposed by many organizations that stand for the individual rights of the people, to privacy and to free choice. Yet, the government requires the right to interfere so as to implement precautions within and create benefits for the governed nation. The Director of NSA (National Security Agency of the United States) stated that Governments around the world have employed “confidential surveillance programs”1 to access information shared through the people’s communication devices and media. These measures have “prevented more than 50 terrorist plots…show more content…
Locke’s take on the ‘social contract’, which focused on the equality of rights for all Man, was the cornerstone of the United States’ Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson. Through the social contract based law, the US Government was able to provide the people with good education (14th)4, steady economic growth (3rd)4, wide global connections (2nd)4 and reliable military defence (1st)4, to name a few accomplishments. This proves that the social contract is beneficial towards a society with good governance. There remains the fact that the social contract sealed the people’s subscription to the State’s laws, as such the State does own the right to interfere with their private…show more content…
China, is one example. Its Government practices active surveillance on its people, beyond just that of internet activity. In 2013, more than 20 million cameras were installed across China. Officers’ justify this as a means to combat crime and maintain ‘social stability’, however “the government routinely uses (these) cameras to monitor and intimidate dissidents”4. This has worried human rights activists as such active surveillance will erode the freedom of ordinary people. Such forms of surveillance is more of a restriction to the people’s rights and choices to act freely, confining them to agree with the Government, never to question them. Such is an act of oppression that does not work in the ‘best interest’ of the people. By Locke’s take on the social contract, since the State has “ceased to uphold its end of the” social contract, the people own the right to revolt and overthrow the (State)” which “makes the contract void”3. The State, is therefore stripped of its right to interfere with the private lives of
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