Figures of representation in the social contract theory: authorization and trust

Abstract

This paper seeks to answer how the issue of political representation was raised by the authors who are considered as the sources of modern  thought and political theory, taking into account on one hand that at the present representation is linked with free elections and democracy which had no real existence when this authors wrote; and secondly, since they stated the consent of the individual as the basis of political legitimacy, they necessarily had to face the problem of political representation. This article gives a brief outline of the defining features that define the novelty represented by the contract theory regarding previous political philosophical thought, and then examines the problem of representation in some selected authors, to conclude with some propositions on the value and presence of their contributions today.