Which concept argues that people consent to government for protection and that authority is derived from the governed?

Which concept argues that people consent to government for protection and that authority is derived from the governed?

• A. Divine Right
• B. Absolutism
• C. Feudalism
• D. Social Contract

Answer: (D)

Social contract theory is being tested here—the idea that people consent to government in order to obtain protection and order, and that political authority comes from the governed rather than from divine decree or coercive power. Enlightenment thinkers argued that individuals agree to obey laws and surrender some freedoms in exchange for protection of their natural rights, and that governments derive legitimacy only with the people’s consent. If the government fails to protect rights or acts against the people's will, the contract can be renegotiated or dissolved. This helps explain why modern democracies emphasize consent and rights as the basis for legitimate authority. It differs from divine right, which grounds authority in God; from absolutism, which concentrates power in a single ruler; and from feudalism, which is a rigid hierarchy of obligations rather than a contract among free individuals.

Social contract theory is being tested here—the idea that people consent to government in order to obtain protection and order, and that political authority comes from the governed rather than from divine decree or coercive power. Enlightenment thinkers argued that individuals agree to obey laws and surrender some freedoms in exchange for protection of their natural rights, and that governments derive legitimacy only with the people’s consent. If the government fails to protect rights or acts against the people's will, the contract can be renegotiated or dissolved. This helps explain why modern democracies emphasize consent and rights as the basis for legitimate authority. It differs from divine right, which grounds authority in God; from absolutism, which concentrates power in a single ruler; and from feudalism, which is a rigid hierarchy of obligations rather than a contract among free individuals.