The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were witness to several intellectual revolutions in Europe.

The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were witness to several intellectual revolutions in Europe. Thinkers during this time were influenced by the likes of Newton, Bacon and Descartes of the Scientific Revolution. These scientific thinkers had managed to discover several laws of nature that seemed to regulate the way in which the universe functioned. Inspired by these developments, Enlightenment thinkers of the eighteenth century attempted to make similar breakthroughs in the fields of society and government. …

…have each man remain free while joining with others. His solution is this: because the conditions of the contract were the same for all, and because each person committed totally to it while giving himself to everyone (and vice versa), it could not function without the participation of each individual. The rights given were equal to those received. Therefore, it was in no one's interest to withdraw as everyone acquired the same amount of rights.