Social Contract

a)    a)  Before we were born, we signed a social contract with our government.  The social contract requires that we obey the laws in return for military protection and social benefits.  All these benefits that society provides us whether it’s delivering the mail or fighting off terrorists, can’t be given for free.  Everything has a price or consequence.  We must pay our taxes if we want free health care.  We have to obey the laws that mandate that we must not murder if we want safety.  If we don’t, then there’s no health care and there’s chaos.  These are the reasons as to why the social contract between man and government was originally formed.  However, we continue to uphold this contract because once the contract is made, it’s almost inconceivable to break it.  Whether it’s because the idea never crossed our mind or because it would be too difficult of a feat, we don’t back out of this social contract.  Or it could simply be because the benefits of honoring the social contract outweigh the benefits of breaking off and doing whatever we want.  This last reason, I feel, is the most likely.  Anarchy is the other option to having a social contract with the government.  Does anarchy offer something that the government does not?  I suppose the answer is freedom, but my feeling is that the relinquishing of the right to a few freedoms is worth the benefits that an organized society provides.  The government only limits me from a few things really.  For example, the government forbids me from roaming around buck naked.  I think I could live my life without that right.  On a more serious level, the government also forbids me from murdering or stealing.  These are things we should not do anyway for they are harmful.  The social contract came about for a reason and humans have accepted it since the birth of Mesopotamia. 

b)     b) Society is beholden to us once again through the social contract.  A contract requires a give and take from both sides.  We pay our taxes, so the government must use our taxes for our benefit.  Otherwise, we would never pay our taxes in the first place.  The government and the society as a whole are in place to serve us.  Everything it does is for the overall benefit of our society. I won’t ignore the fact that this overall benefit in society usually results in the harm of certain individuals or the minority.  However, over time, usually these wrongs are fixed as shown through America’s history.  Much of the South’s stability and wealth was built on the backs of the black slaves.  Yet the injustice of this was recognized and there was a civil war to change this wrong.  (This is also an example of when it is right to fight the laws of society.)   In America, specifically, our government officials are elected by us so they must be able to please us.  So long as the government meets the needs of the people, the government continues to exist and the social contract is upheld. 

c)     c) The circumstances under which we could break the laws that society requires us to follow are when the government doesn’t uphold its part of the social contract.  If a tyrant comes in control and acts for his or her benefit at all, then the social contract is broken.  The people no longer need to follow the law and should not follow the law since it’s not in their interest to do so.  The government exists solely for the benefit of the people.  In other words, the only circumstance under which people could disobey societal laws is when the government breaches its part of the social contract.  Some might also suggest that one should not follow a seemingly unjust law.  My feeling is that all laws must be followed, no matter how unjust it may seem assuming the government is still working for the people.  However, moves should be made to recognize the injustice at hand and then change the law.  This is when people campaign outside the White House or write letters to the president.  So far, I think this method to opposing unjust laws has worked for the most part.