A Constructionist Understanding of Social Contract Theory

The social contract is an act of establishing meaning. Power relations can be understood as semiotic relations of establishing an interpretative will. Natural state, original state in most theories of social contract, is not only a pre-politic one, but also pre-semiotic. Contractualist theories propose a model of social reality resulting from voluntary waiver of their liberty to obtain sociability. This article takes into consideration the understanding of the social contract as interpretative practice, in a constructionist manner. We understand the social contract as an interpretative pact resulting from a process generating meanings. Social constructs arising from the interpretative process are: social order, law, or, in general, normativity and power status. The article will favor analytical and historical approach, applying social constructionism as semiotic grid to recover various contractualist theories.