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Contractualism, There are debates among the contractualists:, Machiavelli…
Contractualism
Derathé
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To prove their point, contractualists imagine a Natural State, where there's no authority and all are equal, existing before a Social Contract creates the Civil State.
Man then eventually joins society and obeys an authority, be it willingly or by force. The ruler then makes a pact with the ruled to legitimise his authority.
Contractualists did not seek to inspire democracies, but rather the separation of church and state, and justify the legitimacy of the ruler.
They did however, say that the people still hold some power, and have the right to depose tyrants (those who disregard Natural Law).
Locke
To transition to State of Civility was a choice, not a natural process as many argued.
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The people should elect officials to represent them and make sure the king doesn’t become a tyrant. In case he does, revolution is justified.
Locke was an empiricist, and believed that hundreds of years of experience led to common sense, which advocated for religious tolerance.
People should be free to make their own decisions and learn by themselves, and it’s the duty of the state to protect such fundamental rights.
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Machiavelli was too amoral: for contractualism, an action is good if it has popular approval and obeys the Natural Law.
Earlier authors discussed how the ruler should be absolute to protect fundamental rights, while later ones were against absolutism and defenders of Natural Law.