Consent theory

{{Short description|Philosophical idea on the nature of governance}}

Consent theory is a term for the idea in social philosophy that individuals primarily make decisions as free agents entering into consensual relationships with other free agents, and that this becomes the basis for political governance.{{cite web|url=https://politics.virginia.edu/georgeklosko/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2016/09/consent5A.pdf |title=Consent Theory of Political Obligation on Politics}} An early elaborator of this idea was John Locke, from whom the expression "all men are created equal" can be traced. Consent theory goes back at least to the 16th century.{{citation|title="Oh, Ye Are For Anarchy!": Consent Theory in the Radical Libertarian Tradition|author=C Watner|publisher=Journal of Libertarian Studies|year=1986|url=https://cdn.mises.org/8_1_9_0.pdf}}