If you are up for it look at Aristotle's critique of democracy, according to him democracy isnt a good system because it can be taken over by plutocrates - guess what?
The idea of a social contract goes back to Hobbes notion of the Leviathan; the state has the liberties we give up to be protected. it is telling that the libertarian plutocrates now taking over the US dont like the state and that the Soverign Individual contenplates it collapse with glee. John Rawls is classed as a social contract philospher esentialy arguing that if we didnt know where we'd end up in a society we insist that it was eqitably organised.
Wikipedia is your friend here - itself proof that we can collaborate and argue to create a common good without resorting to coercion and bullying (and the Talk pages are great)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle