5 The Enlightenment Concept of The Social Contract

Was the social contract theory that emerged from Locke et al.: Was this originally meant to be a contract or a covenant? Was it mis-stated?

Rousseau maybe was closer. Concept of “the general will”.

Is there such a thing as “a spirit of the people”? Are “the people” anything more than a collection of individuals engaged in mutually advantageous transactions? Under what conditions would you sacrifice for the greater good of your people?