Social Contract

Citing your source on the blog, explain in a POST what you understand the essence of a contract to be – what's essential to it – and then posit you own "social contract." If people interact according to a certain set of rules (moral, philosophical, selfish, whatever), what do those rules look like. Strive for realism rather than idealism in your definition of a social contract – how does the world actually work and how can people be expected to behave?

A contract is an agreement between two or more parties for the doing or not doing of something specified. People usually use contracts when they first have one or more disagreements. If both parties do not want to make a treaty, then sometimes the law forces the parties to agree, therefore it is an enforced agreement. Usually, it is written and the agreements are very formal. Social contracts are when the people's moral and political obligations are dependent on a contract or agreement between them to form a society. The Social Contract Theory is rightly associated with modern moral and political theory. In the twentieth century, moral and political theory regained philosophical momentum because of John Rawls’ Kantian version of social contract theory. Some people believe that when men and women in a society follow a social contract, it is making them act like according to the way the government wants. The reason the leaders of every society create something that is similar to a social contract is to keep the common person safe and to protect the society itself from tearing itself apart.

Social Contract

A social contract is an implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits. For example by sacrificing some individual freedom for state protection. Social contract describes a broad class of theories that try to explain the ways in which people maintain social order. The way social contract works is that a person gives up some of his rights in order to receive a level of social order through the law. Social contract became popular in the 16th, 17th, and 18th century under the therios of THomas Hobbes and John Locke. In my life contracts such as the relationship between my parents and myself is a realistic idea. Also a bigger in one would be the relationship to my school, which is my higher authority, and myself would be a good example of how social contracts work out.

Social Contract

The term contract has many meanings, but in the context of social contract, and in my opinion, it means an agreement to do what you are supposed to do.

A social contract is what is expected of you by the rest of society. This changes for each society. In some countries somethings might be expected out of a person that other societies might consider offensive.

My Social Contract in my society

In my own social contract, I would have the following things:
-Good Character: I should be kind to other people no matter how they treat me. Also to be generous to others, and to be courteous toward them.
- Honesty: I feel that a lot of people have put their trust in me and it is my obligation to be honest toward them. Not only them, I should try to be honest to everyone, but it is most important to be honest to those who trust me, like my parents.
-Effort: I feel that it is my duty to do the best that I can at whatever it is I am doing, wether it is school, or sports, I should apply full effort.

Social Contract

A social contract is defined as “an agreement between two or more parties for the doing or not doing of something specified.” This is just one of many definitions, but this is one of the most generalized. A contract is something that binds people one way or another, whether it’s by law, or by unspoken rule, it binds people to something, usually to some sort of social etiquette or action. To have a contract means that both sides have consented, but that doesn’t mean in the world of politics that there hasn’t been blackmailing or some other form of forcing the other party into agreement, but it is usually seen as an agreement. Social contracts are very common. The most common are called “laws.” Laws are a form of social contract, they are forced upon our general population, but it is widely known that they are usually for our own good and safety. Another important form of social contract is etiquette. It is widely known that people should not eat food with their hands in public. This is a very set and stated rule of etiquette. However, there are also unspoken rules such as keeping your voice down on trains and busses. Social contracts are very important because they keep a society running smoothly. If people don’t have contracts they can make claims about anything and demand anything from others depending on what mood they’re in. Having laws keeps societies under control.

Social Contract

Look up "contract" (all parts of speech) in the dictionary of your choice. Citing your source on the blog, explain in a POST what you understand the essence of a contract to be – what's essential to it – and then posit you own "social contract." If people interact according to a certain set of rules (moral, philosophical, selfish, whatever), what do those rules look like. Strive for realism rather than idealism in your definition of a social contract – how does the world actually work and how can people be expected to behave?
LABEL your post with your first name, social contract

A contract is a legal or binding agreement multiple persons enter into, sometimes written.

The basis of a contract is a mutual agreement to act in a certain way or do a certain thing, between multiple, people, usually acknowledged but not always. First off, one of the most important things needed in a contract is multiple people. You can make agreements with yourself, but they tend to be far easier to understand and make more sense in general when they involve other people. We sometimes make social contracts with what seems like ourselves, but is really involving other people, such as things like the unspoken rules that you try to sit with your friends at lunch, don't sit at tables controlled by those from other grades, and not flipping out at people senior to you when they cut in the lunch line (as you can see, the cafeteria is fraught with unspoken agreements and rules between everyone).

In a social contract, the agreement is generally about how to try to behave in society, like my examples above. These kind of contracts are very unofficial and often broken, whether intentionally or not. In a social contract you are "required" to act a certain way, however by not doing so, rather than getting in trouble with the law, you are usually simply frowned upon or viewed less highly.

Social Contract

Dictionary.com's definition of the word contract is:

"an agreement between two or more parties for the doing or not doing of something specified."

A contract is a signed agreement that essentially "can't be broken," (meaning breaking of the contract leads to severe consequences such as disloyalty or revenge). The purpose of a contract is to have some truce, compromise or deal that is saved on paper. For example, one place we see contracts all the time is in business. People are offered to work for a certain task, usually for a set amount of money or other benefits based on the amount of time and success of their work.

A social contract however, is different because it is not necessarily official or written and signed on paper. A social contract is the agreements that people have in every day life that leads to the way society forms. One example of a social contract is in the mostly unspoken social hierarchy. Based on people's personalities, appearances, abilities, gender, race, age, professions, smartness, confidence, success, income, and other defining properties, society tends to put a rank on individuals compared to the people around them. Different people have different social contracts, and people who are "ranked higher" in the social hierarchy, which is quite vague, usually tend to not have quite as many social contracts as other people. In fact, part of the social contract for many is about having respect for the people that seem to be "above" themselves in the hierarchy. The concept of it doesn't quite make complete sense, but basically social contracts can be any values that people think it is necessary to follow. Depending on location, family background, culture, government, and many other things, social contracts differ between people.

Social Contract

A contract is a Voluntary , deliberate, and legally enforceable (binding) agreement between two or more competent parties. That is the definition I found which had to do with Law. I also found that a contract was An agreement between two or more parties, especially one that is written and enforceable by law

A Social Contract would be like relationships with other people whether they be good relationships or not. For example a social contract would be an agreement between a community and its ruler that defines and limits the rights and duties of each. My social contracts would be

1. A sense of obligation to my family
2. A feeling of respect for all who deserve it
3. Being honest to all who have respect for me, or who care for me
4. Doing my best for all the people who do their best for me
5. Don't make a fool of yourself for no reason if just for pure attention and nothing else
6. Not being selfish
7. Being Selfless

Social Contract

A contract is a set of standards, or rules, enforced by a government or system, that all people mutually agree to follow. There are several different types of contracts, such as social contracts or a contract between two countries that have been at war. The most important thing about a contract is that all people agree to follow it.

More specifically, a social contract is a contract that all people adhere to that has never been formally written down or agreed to. Therefore, I don't think a social contract has to be a law, although many social contracts are anyway. I think they are mostly along the lines of being courteous to others, and overall just following the social norm

Some social contracts include:

- Kindness towards others, which includes no thief or murder, but also just being polite in general.

- Being able to provide mostly for yourself and not asking too much of other individuals. People are selfish by nature, but a give-and-take relationship with others is ideal.

- Being honest and loyal.

- Behaving appropriately in public places such as school, work or court.

America is a country that allows people a lot of freedom, but it is still important to abide by a social contract. All societies have social contracts, and they are different in every society.

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Social Contract

contract (n): an agreement between two or more parties for the doing or not doing of something specified.
contract (adj.): under contract; governed or arranged by special contract: a contract carrier.
contract (v): to assign (a job, work, project, etc.) by contract: The publisher contracted the artwork.

To me, a contract is something that two or more people agree to in a formal manor. It is more serious then just a promise between friends, and therefore holds more consequences if broken. Contracts usually have a series of deals and actions that are agreed upon. Social contracts are the unspoken rules of society. They are the rules that everyone follows because we know that they outline what is acceptable and what isn't. If I had to include a social contract for everyone that I interact with, it would include the following things:

- Honesty (I know that this is unlikely, but if it were a society that I had control of, I would have everyone be honest with each other)
- Good hygiene (No one likes smelly people...ever.)
- Respect other people's boundaries (I have a personal bubble and, just like most people, I do not like it to be invaded)
- Don't steal, murder, cheat, etc (These are the basics of every society. Why people feel the need to break these simple rules, we will never know)
- Loyalty to the ones you love (This doesn't necessarily mean family, though they should be included)
- Care (In a perfect society, people should actually care for each other, and be conscious of the effects of their actions)

These are the rules that I would hope for. I feel that if everyone thought about what they were doing then these rules could actually be followed. However, in today's society, I feel like I might have asked for too much in the aforementioned contract.

Social Contract

A contract is an agreement between two or more competent parties. It basically means a general agreement between people or groups for a specific purpose. For a contract to be completely formed, it requires the consent of all participants since they would be the ones who would live according to it. Contracts in society could be certain ethical and moral rules that are not quite the law, but generally what the people have agreed to do so. They are the basic standards and limits that we have made ourselves and live in in order to keep order. These sort of contracts are not enforced specifically, but are likely to receive criticism and disapproval when broken. For instance, loyalty and respect for others. These are basic human standards that we live by and all know as a custom. In other words, contracts may be the division between what is human and what is not, who is 'human' enough to keep all the silent rules, and who is not worthy enough to be called such.

Social Contracts

The essence of the word contract, as I understand it, is an agreement that binds two independent bodies together for a single purpose. We all live by social contracts that are mainly unspoken agreements between people. These unseen contracts govern how we live our everyday lives and how we interact with each other. Here are some ideas that I believe to be so called "social contracts." 

-Not talking about uncomfortable topics, like death or racism

-Everyone must have a social status that they adhere to(this is also following the "status quo")

-Wear clothing

-Separation between professional and personal life

-Supporting someone when they are in pain or are suffering

-Complete the routine society supplies for your age (eg. going to school/work)

-Hygiene 

-Obey the law

-Loyalty to family

-Having a hierarchy of loyalties

-Not admitting to being selfish, appearing selfless

-Being well-rounded

-Assimilation

-Not saying that  you are better than others

-Monogamy 

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The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines a contract to be:
1 : a binding agreement between two or more persons or parties; especially : one legally enforceable
2 : a document describing the terms of a contract

A social contract, on the other hand, is "an actual or hypothetical agreement among the members of an organized society or between a community and its ruler that defines and limits the rights and duties of each."

Ideally, when a promise is made it is always followed through. Unfortunately this is certainly not true in most situations. This does not mean that it was knowingly violated, but perhaps the person forgot or found it necessary to act in violation to the promise made. Due to the fragile state of such agreements, I do not think that all promises may be viewed as contracts. A contract in my mind is something unbreakable, or if broken followed by punishment or castigation. Entering a contract is a serious matter, and so requires some accompanying proof of mutual understanding between those entering it. For example, when students go on a field trip they are required to fill out a permission slip that at the same time communicates the required behaviour during the outing and asks the student's agreement with those terms. Once signed (so that there is proof that the student understood and agreed) it is perfectly justifiable for the school to allot punishment in form equal to that of the crime commit should the agreement be broken.

I do believe that most contracts should have evidence of entry, but social contracts are an exception. An example of a social contract within our society might be the law itself - it is assumed that you know the law and so will not break it. If you do, you can be faced with fines, community service work, or jail time. Another example is the U.S. Constitution. A tacit contract is etiquette - you are expected by fellow members of your society to behave kindly and politely, as well as follow the rules that govern the society. I agree with Frannie when she says that such a contract is different between people - in large part it is dependant upon how you were raised and what you value in proper behaviour. I agree also with James when he says that it is assumed that all individuals will try their best to contribute in some way to the overall condition of the society. It is a hoped for objective, but not always expected. Generally everyone should do the best they can with the situation they are given.

Social Contract

contract: n, an agreement between two or more people, esp. a written one enforceable by law.

Webster's New World Dictionary

I believe a contract is an agreement between people. This being said, it's essential that all people involved agree on the contract. There cannot be a contract between people if one person is not in agreement.

Not everybody has the same social contract. Certainly, some people do, but a social contract is really a contract with yourself. You create rules for how to act - other than laws and rules already established. I bind myself to my own social contract. My social contract is based on how I'd like other people to be treated. One of my rules is to be polite. I'm not going to go screaming in the movie theater. However, other people have different social contracts, and they might not mind being extremely loud in a movie theater. My social contract involves what people think of me. If there were people in the movie theater screaming, I'd think to myself "Wow, those people are so annoying!" I really do not want to be thought of as extremely annoying. Many people have the same base. Everybody has to respect the law, although some chose not to. All in all, there is not one single social contract around the world. Every person has his or her own.

Social Contract

I looked up the word "contract," here. 

I understand the word "contract" to mean an agreement between two parties. The essence of this definition is agreement. It is a mutual understanding and both sides will have to uphold the contract. Those parties can be people, teams, schools or even the world we live in. When I say "the world we live in" I am talking about my own social contract. It is my mutual agreement with the world that whatever I do, I will do it to the best of my ability. Whether that's in basketball, academics or working out I will accomplish the task at hand and do it right the first time. 

In the real world, the social contract is that only the strong survive. Once you finish school and can't live with your parents anymore, you're on your one. The contract that you have with the world is to find your niche and somehow make it in the rat race. 

It would be an ideal world if the social contract was for everyone to have a positive impact in one way or the other, but that's a delusional thought. If everyone had to make the world a better place, we wouldn't have any problems. That is not the case though, the more realistic social contract is placed upon people entering the real world, it is the option of sinking or swimming, and no one wants to sink. 

Social Contracts

A contract is an official agreement between two or more parties/groups of people which involves allowing or disallowing some kind of rule action. Therefore, a social contract would be this type of agreement within a population. The social contract would aim to benefit both parties that are involved in the agreement, ideally creating peace and social harmony.

My own social contract is that people are naturally selfish, yet are raised to give back and be respectful of others. Religion and education attempt to instill these values into people as they grow, hoping to create a peaceful individual one by one. However, humans (for the most part) will tend to themselves and make sure they prosper before they help others around them. Although people still do great things for each other, humans are initially and naturally selfish, which is understandable.

Social Contract

By my understanding, a contract is any sort of agreement between people upon a certain course of action. I don't think I really understand if the prompt sees a contract as how humans actually interact with each other or the social agreement of what is acceptable. If it's how humans actually act, the topic is so complex and multi-faceted that I can't really condense it to a social contract. What it comes down to is humans essentially caring about themselves and doing whatever possible to benefit themselves. However, if it is what is expected out of social interactions, I think that the contract revolves around a couple main ideas. There is a certain range of difference that is allowed within the "contract," and dissidence is welcomed within the structure of our society. Really, although there is an expectation that each person conducts themselves in a manner that is agreed on and a moral code that is generally similar, our society is set up so that each person is generally free to act as they wish and still fit into society.