Abstract:

One of the most fundamental problems of political philosophy is the issue of the origin of the state. One of the most important solutions proposed to this problem and still preserving its currentity is the theory of the social contract that states that the state is formed by the transfer of individuals to a superior power with their own permissions and rights and responsibilities. But among the thinkers who see the social contract as the origin of the state, there are serious differences in view of the birth and meaning of the state. The foundation of these differences is based on the views of the theorists of the social contract on man and the state of nature of man. For Hobbes and Rousseau, which is also studied in the article, the social contract is the main factor determining the origin and meaning of the state, although the differences between Hobbes’ “bad view” of the human nature and Rousseau’s “bad view” of the birth of the social contract and the meaning and function of the resulting state are seen in completely different forms. The article is also formed in this direction in the effort of both political theorists to reveal the difference between human, human nature and state concepts.

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