In trying to become sovereign individuals, we quickly run up against our own limitations, and then when a powerful, anonymous force such as government steps in promising to restore the supports we cast away, we gladly throw ourselves into its arms and become dependent on a faceless, impersonal bureaucracy.
Discussion
The Lockean idea of a social contract that we, as sovereign individuals, freely enter into is just wrong. Acting as if it's true leaves us exposed, isolated, and vulnerable.