A social contract is an actual or hypothetical agreement, made between citizens or between the ruled and their ruler, that establishes moral and political rules for a given society. Based on the condition that all others will also consent to relinquish some freedoms to a sovereign or central authority, individuals are guaranteed their safety, security and equal rights. Though the early proponents of social contract theory differed in their views of human nature, they generally agreed that without a social contract of some form, conflict between people will inevitably arise. By accepting our obligation to also protect the rights of others, they argued, we gain civil rights. Social contract theorists demonstrated that it would be rational to enter into such a contract, for mutual advantage, and voluntarily surrender some of one’s individual freedoms.