Every day, billions of people around the world affirm their commitment to a specific idea; be part of a society. Even though this social contract is often neglected by most citizens, their adherence to this contract nevertheless has considerable consequences. Being a member of society involves giving up one's autonomy in favor of a higher authority, whose goal should be to promote the general good of the population. Although the decision to become part of a Commonwealth is usually made without explicit deliberation, there is a consensus among philosophers that something unique to the human experience is the driving force behind this decision. This something contains some very controversial points of debate among past and contemporary political philosophers. Two of these philosophers are Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Aquinas. Each of these political authors provides detailed arguments regarding the concept of natural law, the role that reason plays in that law, whether certain laws are considered truly rational, and why some people choose not to follow certain principles even when they follow them. recognized as rational. . By analyzing each of these arguments, we will come to the conclusion that although the rational principles that reason provides us can easily be ignored by the populace, we can nevertheless find common good in the promulgation of a rational doctrine. While the ideas of Hobbes and Aquinas Although the theories maintain the same fundamental boundaries when it comes to recognizing inherent human knowledge, they have different views regarding the specifics contained within those boundaries. The main difference lies in the notion of natural law. Thomas Aquinas views natural law as the second link in the chain of laws that come directly from God. In the middle of document ......g, the exchange was still worth discussing because it provided empirical examples of the catastrophic consequences of ignoring rational principles. Hobbes recognized this same tendency among some to act irrationally. He stated that “…the actions of men proceed from their will and their will from their hopes and their fears…” (Hobbes, page 69). Much like a casino gambler who knows the odds are heavily in favor of the house, every man's hope drives his will toward irrational actions. The examples provided by these lost souls serve the common good, stifling the hopes of the masses of somehow achieving the unattainable. Whether it is the collapse of an empire in Greece or the wasting of a salary at a card table, these products of irrational behavior cause the rest of the population to solidify their commitment to being an integral part of the company..