social contract (redirected from social compacts)

social contract

n.

An agreement among the members of an organized society or between the governed and the government defining and limiting the rights and duties of each.

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social contract, compact

n

(Philosophy) (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

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

social contract - an implicit agreement among people that results in the organization of society; individual surrenders liberty in return for protection accord, agreement - harmony of people's opinions or actions or characters; "the two parties were in agreement"