The argument that we should look to the past in
order to anticipate the future is a compelling one.
In times of turbulence such as we are living through
today, it is only wise and prudent to cast our eye back
to see whence we have come, in order to make an
informed decision as to the direction in which we
should proceed.
The central tenet of all social contract theory is
the concept that political authority is dependent
on the consent of the people. When that consent is
withdrawn, so is the authority. The social contract
necessarily bestows a duty on those in authority to act
in the best interests of those they govern, lest they fall
short and be relieved of that authority.
In this age of rapid technological development and
increased connectivity, it is easy to appreciate that it
was the invention of the printing press that signalled
the dawn of a new era, the Age of Enlightment.
The mid-17th Century was a time when several
intellectuals wrote treatises of governance that have
had profound on how we live today.
Ever since the Age of Enlightenment, democracy
and capitalism have been happy bedfellows. In times
past, when communists or anarchists decried the
shortcomings and inequalities that inevitably arose
from capitalism, the capitalists could always point to
the inherent virtues of the democratic method as its
saving grace. Democracy gave everybody a say in how
society should be run, and it kept tyranny at bay.
In 1651, a book by Thomas Hobbes named Leviathan
was published. It introduced the theory of a social
contract between the ruler and the ruled. The concept
of a de facto agreement between governments and
those that they govern came to be widely accepted in
political thought. Hobbes was in favour of absolute
monarchies in which the citizenry would cede some
rights to the sovereign for the sake of protection.
Subsequent to Hobbes, came John Locke, a more
noteworthy contributor to the theory. Locke
believed in the natural rights of men and his work
was the driving force behind that most egalitarian
of documents, the American Declaration of
Independence.
2011 marked an unfortunate departure in this happy
coupling. Just as the ubiquity of the internet marks
the end of the age of the printing press, this new
twenty-first century “capitalism”, (which in effect
bears little resemblance to the free market principles
its proponents espouse), is increasingly detrimental
to the democratic ideals we hold so dear. Couple this
with opportunism that has been displayed by the
ruling class in curtailing the rights of individuals and
the threat that democracy now faces becomes clear.
History has shown that economic crashes are prone
to lead to the loss of personal liberty, coupled with the
rise of fascism and the police state. Think about the
Weimar Republic and how it created the conditions
for the rise of Hitler and the Nazis.
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