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Political Obligation
Political Obligation refers to a moral requirement to obey the laws of one’s country. The origins of the political obligation are somewhat unclear, however it can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks. The most prevalent instances of political obligation comes during the era of Social Contract Theory, in which Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were crucial in further explaining the idea and importance of political obligation in life. The idea of political obligation is also a philosophical one, that focuses on the morality of laws, rather than if a law is just or not as well as the obvious self-interests. Many people often mistake obligation to the law as political obligation. When there is an act that requires one to obey due to the law, that just provide a person an additional incentive to practice political obligation.

History
The idea of political obligation was first founded by Thomas Hill Green around the late 1800's. For Green, he discussed this idea as "obedience to the law." However, Green's explanation for what is Political Obligation only scratches the surface, and a more detailed look at the term can be traced to the thoughts of Socrates and Plato. Dudley Knowles also looks at this through his book Political Obligation: A Critical Introduction, and finds a more detailed look at the relationship the person and the state have towards each other.

Socrates
The earliest understanding of political obligation can be traced back to the teachings of Socrates. One account recalls Socrates being jailed and sentenced to death for "corrupting the morals of the youth". Socrates was set to escape, a design set up by his friends, however he chose to stay and accept his punishment, as he found it morally wrong not to do so. In Crito, Socrates describes the struggle man has with the rule of law and the connection it has with humans political obligation.

Divinity and Morality
It has been long argued that a person's obligation to society have been divinely ordained that it has prevented people from even considering the possibility of disobedience. Christianity has been a catalist in this thinking. However, divine command faces some issues when it comes to coexisting with political obligation. The first issue being that it assumes the existence of holiness is current. The second issue being that the orders of the divine are not always clear. These issues have long been under scrutiny.

Locke, Hobbes, and the Social Contract
Perhaps the most obvious instances of political obligation being put in to practice can be seen in social contract theory. Thomas Hobbes and John Locke were crucial in the development of this philosophy. For Hobbes, he believed in a society that needed authority in order to thrive. More specifically, he saw it as a fight for humans to wield power. Hobbes was very much for the idea of political obligation, stating that government and laws were needed for men to thrive as a society. While Hobbes and Locke disagreed on much, what they both agreed on however, was this idea of freedom for the individual. With this freedom however, the both saw that it was limited and an obligation to obey the law was necessary in the social contract.