I have seen this topic come up a number of times over the past few weeks, usually in regards to gun control and taxation. I mostly see it on /r/politicaldiscussion, but I have seen it here a couple times too. I find myself defending the existence of the social contract quite often, so I thought I'd come here (where the bar for conversation is higher) to discuss the social contract before I make a post about it over there.

Essentially, I see the social contract as a given. It is axiomatic that we live in a government founded on the social contract. Not only do I think we are founded on principles of the social contract, I think it's good that we are this way. While I prefer Hobbes' formulation of the state of nature and the social contract, I find it apparent that Lockean ideals were the basis of the Declaration of Independence. It is also apparent in the Preamble to the Constitution that we form a government for the collective good, similar to social contract theory.

I am curious what /r/Ask_Politics thinks of the social contract. I don't need a summary of previous criticisms (Hume isn't just a character on Lost). I would just like to know what this subreddit thinks about it. Do you flat-out reject the notion of a social contract? Do you recognize its existence but disagree with it? Do you acknowledge and support it? Hopefully we can get some good discussion here, as I haven't really been presented with a good counterargument yet.