SCL1501
ASSIGNMENT 1 (SEMESTER 1)
DUE DATE: 28 March 2025
Written Assignment Submission Guidelines:
Please ensure that your assignment is submitted electronically through the myUnisa platform no
later than March 2025. Kindly note that fax or email submissions will not be accepted.
NB: Assignment submitted to the lecturer(s) through email will not be considered.
QUESTION 1
(a) The Notion of Social Contract
The concept of the "social contract" refers to an implicit agreement among individuals within a
society to form and abide by a system of governance that ensures order and mutual benefit. Rooted
in the theories of philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau,
the social contract suggests that individuals consent to surrender some of their freedoms to a
governing body in exchange for protection and the enforcement of laws. In a South African context,
this concept is embedded in the Constitution, which embodies the agreement between the state
and its citizens to uphold democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
(b) Relevance to Subjective Being
A subjective being refers to an individual with consciousness, personal experiences, and self-
awareness. The social contract is relevant to this notion because it is based on the idea that
individuals, as rational and self-aware beings, voluntarily engage in forming a society. Their
subjective perspectives influence how they perceive and accept governance. For example, the South
ASSIGNMENT 1 (SEMESTER 1)
DUE DATE: 28 March 2025
Written Assignment Submission Guidelines:
Please ensure that your assignment is submitted electronically through the myUnisa platform no
later than March 2025. Kindly note that fax or email submissions will not be accepted.
NB: Assignment submitted to the lecturer(s) through email will not be considered.
QUESTION 1
(a) The Notion of Social Contract
The concept of the "social contract" refers to an implicit agreement among individuals within a
society to form and abide by a system of governance that ensures order and mutual benefit. Rooted
in the theories of philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau,
the social contract suggests that individuals consent to surrender some of their freedoms to a
governing body in exchange for protection and the enforcement of laws. In a South African context,
this concept is embedded in the Constitution, which embodies the agreement between the state
and its citizens to uphold democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
(b) Relevance to Subjective Being
A subjective being refers to an individual with consciousness, personal experiences, and self-
awareness. The social contract is relevant to this notion because it is based on the idea that
individuals, as rational and self-aware beings, voluntarily engage in forming a society. Their
subjective perspectives influence how they perceive and accept governance. For example, the South
