Final answer:
David Hume believed that political authority arises from the public utility of providing non-excludable and essential public goods, as opposed to an agreement or social contract.
Step-by-step explanation:
David Hume argued that political authority stems from public utility, rather than from a social contract or agreement. Contrasting with philosophers like Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau who endorsed the idea of a social contract model, Hume suggested that the government's primary role is to provide public goods such as national defense, streetlights, and clean air. These resources are essential for the welfare of the public, cannot be reasonably provided by individuals, and are non-excludable and non-rivalrous in consumption. Governments, therefore, are justified in exercising authority, such as imposing taxes, to produce these goods because of the utility they serve to the public. This contrasts with the view that governments arise from an agreed surrender of personal freedoms in exchange for security and order.