social contract

social contract

noun
1.
the voluntary agreement among individuals by which, according to any of various theories, as of Hobbes, Locke, or Rousseau, organized society is brought into being and invested with the right to secure mutual protection and welfare or to regulate the relations among its members.
2.
an agreement for mutual benefit between an individual or group and the government or community as a whole.
Also, social compact.


Origin:
1840–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Social contract is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
Collins
World English Dictionary
social contract or social compact
 
n
(in the theories of Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau, and others) an agreement, entered into by individuals, that results in the formation of the state or of organized society, the prime motive being the desire for protection, which entails the surrender of some or all personal liberties
 
social compact or social compact
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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