John Locke powerfully details the benefits of consent as a principle element of government, guaranteed by a social contract. Locke believes in the establishment of a social compact among people of a society

Locke's theory of consent encounters some minor problems. One of the possible problems regards the propertyless person. For a man who has no possessions, the desire for protection of property that motivates men to consent to government is nonexistent. He has no reason to want government and so will be beyond the reach of political authority. Such a person, Locke maintains, is subject to despotical power(794). Also, Locke feels that anyone who enjoys the privileges of government, like driving on the roads, gives tacit consent to government(777). However, many people are not conscious of the fact that driving on the roads is giving consent to government. The education of exactly what is and what is not consent to government is an issue Locke does not address. His theory of consent is weakened by the fact that many may not be as aware of their consent to government as he believes.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau develops his political theory in response to the contention of Locke that his idea of government is the ideal. Rousseau believes in a much higher level of political participation and obligation, but for the most part concurs with Locke regarding the role of consent in establishing government. Rousseau would definitely agree with Locke that men give their mutual consent to money as a store of value in a society. Rousseau feels that the social compact, as it secures the consent of all, will benefit every man equally and protect his property. The general will of the people "can direct the forces of the state" to ensure "the common good" is served(919). As money is the element that allows men to acquire wealth and provide for their families, money would certainly be welcomed by the people, with their consent to its value, as serving the common good. Rousseau would contend that if money existed as a store of value, it could be so only with the full consent of the people. The general will only acts to serve its own needs in a positive way(920). Therefore, money would be accepted as benefiting society, as Locke maintains.

Locke incorporates his views on money into his consent theory, for he feels that men have agreed tacitly, with the invention of money, to put a value on property and establish rights to it(751). The consent of men to place a value on money has allowed men to support themselves with property and labor and also "increase[s] the common stock of mankind"(751). Consent makes industry a

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Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)