Final answer:
The student is correct; the social contract refers to the unwritten agreement between government and citizens, where the government provides protection and services in exchange for the people's adherence to laws and moral codes. Enlightenment philosophers like Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau had varying views on the specifics, but all agreed on the basic principle of the social contract.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student who made the statement, "A social contract means our government promises to keep us safe and enforce fair laws if we as people promise to follow those laws and obey any fair decisions, right?" is essentially correct. This concept can be traced back to Enlightenment philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who each proposed varying versions of the social contract theory. While the details of the contract differ among these philosophers, they all agree on the basic premise that there is an unwritten yet binding agreement where the government provides certain protections and services in exchange for the people's cooperation and adherence to established laws and moral codes.
According to John Locke, the social contract involves the government protecting individual rights and property, while requiring that people respect the rule of law and monitor the government to prevent the abuse of power. Rousseau believed that the government must submit to the general will of the people and protect their freedom and equality. Hobbes saw the government's role as protecting people from themselves, expecting them to adhere to the government's commands for their own safety.
As part of the social contract theory, if a government fails to uphold its duties, such as protecting the rights and freedoms of the people, or becomes overly oppressive, citizens have not only the right but also the duty to withdraw their obligations to such a government and establish a new one that better serves their needs and upholds the general will.