This book examines the most significant metaphors of modern political philosophy: the state of nature and the social contract. Each of the main chapters is dedicated to the political theory of the different social contract thinkers and the ways they articulated the uniquely liberal view of equality and freedom. The last chapter, unique to most books that explore the social contract, highlights the recent challenges to these views. It is this balance between accepted contractarian ideas and their critiques that makes this book a unique contribution to the field of political philosophy.

Kevin Dooley is the Chair of the Department of Political Science and Sociology at Monmouth University where he teaches courses in political theory and international relations. He received his Ph.D. from Rutgers University and is the author of four books.

Preface - Acknowledgements - Introduction - Thomas Hobbes: The State of Nature as a State of War; The Actor and the Authors - John Locke: The Fiduciary Trust - Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Breaking the Chains: The Noble Savage and the General Will - Immanuel Kant: Green Lenses, Objective Truth, and Perpetual Peace - John Rawls: The Veil of Ignorance - The Critiques: Conservatism, Feminism, and Critical Race Theory - Index.