Includes index

The idea of the State has been a subject for serious scholarship since ancient times. Over the ages, the State had to battle with other institutions like the all pervading Christian Church to establish its precedence and priority. The State was viewed differently in the medieval era, and in that of the Renaissance and the Reformation. Historical specificities seem to have been responsible for philosophers viewing the State differently at different periods. Similarly, historical specificity was responsible again for the birth of a new dimension to theories of the State – the Social Contract. Usually, the Theory of Social Contract is taught as one of the theories about the origin of the State. While this is true, it does not give meaning to the full span of what Social Contractualism accomplished in the Western world. Often, the economic aspects and market dynamics that were espoused by the Social Contractualists tend to be overlooked, thereby presenting a partial and lopsided picture of the true meaning of the Social Contract.