Thomas Hobbes developed the theory of the state of nature, an existence that precedes established government, governed by the harsh laws of survival of the fittest. From this bleak world, Hobbes explained that people created government as a means of protecting their most important natural rights. For Hobbes, this was humanity's right to life. He provided a justification for an authoritarian government, ruled by a monarchy with ultimate power over law and society. Under authoritarian rule, a sovereign figure makes the moral decisions for the nation. The exception is religion, which Hobbes defined as a personal responsibility.
John Locke accepted Hobbes' vision of the state of nature, but altered it to develop his own theory for dividing resources in a society. Locke defined a legitimate government as a democratic institution, responsible for upholding the life, liberty and property of its citizens. For Locke, a government justified its existence by its ability to uphold those three ideals. Locke established a moral philosophy that included a strict division of resources, based on early capitalistic ideals. Locke also held that every individual was responsible for leading a moral life.
Jean Jacques Rousseau established a political philosophy by rejecting both Hobbes' idea of a single sovereign and Locke's idea of the representative government. For Rousseau, legitimate authority exists only as an equal division between all citizens. Rousseau established the idea of general will, a concept of legislation where all citizens engage each other in political discourse, discussing politics until the general will of the nation can be established. Rousseau held that discourse required freedom, the liberty to speak openly and for Rousseau, freedom and liberty became intrinsic parts of his moral philosophy.
John Rawls suggested that the continuity of government relies on the original establishment of a fair governing system. For Rawls, the exact style of government should be based on the needs of the society, democracy for some and autocracy others, as the people prefer. Rawls held that people should establish a government based on a clear original position. Rawls' original position is designed based on a veil of ignorance, the framers of a society develops the laws without any knowledge of what their place in that society will be. Rawls' moral philosophy is based on equality for all citizens.