THE SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY OF THE STATE: A CRITIQUE
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Date
2010-12-14
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Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin
Abstract
The origin and development of the state have attracted a great deal of attention of practically all the important political thinkers. Like the other concepts in political theory, important changes are reflected in the understandings of the nature of the state with the changes in the political order and the advancement in the other areas of human knowledge. The social contract theory in the 17th and 18th centuries introduced a radical departure in analysing the relationship between the ruler and the ruled, challenging the traditional divine right theory by arguing that the ruler and the ruled are two parties of the agreement and as such essentially equal. However, 20th century political thinkers have rejected and criticised the claims of the social contract doctrine for its historical ambiguity unfeasibility and defective logic.
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Social, Contract, Theory, Social Contract Theory, Nigeria