International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

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Liberty, Equality, and the Social Contract: Reassessing Enlightenment Political Ideas

Author(s) Prof. Dr. CHANCHAL KUMAR
Country India
Abstract The Enlightenment, an intellectual movement in 18th-century Europe, was stimulated by the Scientific Revolution. Like the scientific revolution, the Enlightenment involved an application of the natural, humanistic attitudes typical of the Renaissance. The Enlightenment or the Age of Reason is names given to the predominant intellectual movement of the eighteenth century. It was an intellectual movement among the upper and middle-class elites. It involved a new worldview that explained the world and sought answers through reason rather than faith, and through an optimistic, natural, humanistic approach rather than a fatalistic, supernatural one. The central doctrines of the Enlightenment were individual liberty, representative government, the rule of law, and religious freedom, in contrast to an absolute monarchy or single-party state and the religious persecution of faiths other than those formally established and often controlled outright by the State.
The article explores how the concept of the social contract serves as a theoretical foundation for legitimising political authority through the consent of the governed. For Locke, the establishment of political society was aimed at protecting natural rights—namely, life, liberty, and property—while Rousseau highlighted the significance of the general will in promoting collective freedom and equality. Montesquieu’s support for constitutionalism and institutional checks further bolstered the Enlightenment critique of concentrated power. By revisiting these concepts, the article underscores how Enlightenment political thought has laid the intellectual foundation for contemporary democratic governance, constitutionalism, and discussions surrounding human rights.
Simultaneously, the article offers a critical reassessment of the limitations and contradictions inherent in Enlightenment political thought, particularly the tensions between universal ideals and their inconsistent application throughout history. Through this analysis, the study illustrates that the principles of liberty, equality, and the social contract continue to be central to modern discussions on democracy, political legitimacy, and justice. Ultimately, the Enlightenment remains an essential normative framework for understanding the development of the contemporary political order and the ongoing quest for freedom and equality in political life.
Keywords Enlightenment Political Thought Social Contract Theory Liberty Equality Natural Rights Popular Sovereignty Constitutionalism Modern Democracy
Field Sociology > Politics
Published In Volume 8, Issue 2, March-April 2026
Published On 2026-03-09
DOI https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i02.70968
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