If I had a dollar for every time a statist brought up the term social contract I’d be filthy rich. The concept of a social contract has to be one of the dumbest ideas that has ever graced the mindes of men.
Of all the problems surrounding the concept of a social contract the biggest has to be the fact that nobody on this fucking planet can tell me what the exact terms of that contract are. Contracts are voluntary agreements between two entities that are enforceable by law. My biggest problems with the so-called social contract are the fact I never voluntarily agreed to any such contract and I have no idea what terms are in the contract.
In order to enforce a contract it must be known when somebody violates one of the contract’s terms. For instance let’s say we signed a contract stating you would install electrical wiring in my home for $100.00 and that wiring either had to be to code or you wouldn’t get paid. The terms are clear, you get paid if the city inspector says your job meets required electrical code or you don’t get paid. If you wire the house and it doesn’t meet electrical code then you have violated the contract, if you wire the house properly and I don’t pay you then I’ve violated the contract. Whether you violated the contract or I did is irrelevant insofar as there will be a court case in all likeliness.
As no definite terms exist in the social contract it is unenforceable because no party knows when they’re violating one of the terms. While some claim paying your taxes is part of the social contract they’ve been unable to point to where in this hypothetical contract the term exists. Somehow I was so ignorant that I agreed to a contract that obligates me to pay an undefined amount of money to the king. I’m usually smart enough to read a contract and strike out any term that says I have to pay money without defining exactly what that amount of money is.
What the social contract really boils down to is a decree. It states, “You will do whatever I say, whenever I say, and in return I’ll guarantee you nothing.” If statists wish to continue using the argument of a social contract they better get it written up so we know what the terms are. As far as I’m concerned you can’t enforce a contract unless a defined term within has been violated.