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The Social Contract

by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Maurice William Cranston (Translator)

3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 · rating details · 12,469 ratings · 216 reviews

The perfect books for the true book lover, Penguin's Great Ideas series features twelve more groundbreaking works by some of history's most prodigious thinkers. Each volume is beautifully packaged with a unique type-driven design that highlights the bookmaker's art. Offering great literature in great packages at great prices, this series is ideal for those readers who want...more

Paperback, 188 pages

Published May 30th 2006 by Penguin Books (first published 1762)

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Nov 04, 2012 Lona rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

بالنظر للفترة الزمنية التي نُشر فيها الكتاب يتبيَّن للقارئ مدى شجاعة جان جاك روسو لجرأة المحتوى الذي لا يتناسب أبداً مع الحالة السياسية في تلك الفترة وفعلا منذ أن نشر روسو الكتاب لم يعيش مطمئناً، فقد ظلَّ ملاحقاً في كل مكان يقصده إلى أن رحل عن هذه الدنيا. وبعد 30 عاماً من وفاته سُميَّ هذا الكتاب "بإنجيل الثورة الفرنسية"، لأنها قامت على المبادئ التي يحويها الكتاب

تناول الكتاب بالشرح ضرورة أن يحكم الشعب نفسه ويحافظ علي حقوقه من خلال حكومة منتخبة تكون وسيط بين الشعب والسيد ولكن أساس هذه المؤسسة هو...more

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Jul 16, 2007 Jeff rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophy, must-reads, politics

"The average man of each new generation has said to himself more clearly and consciously than his predecessor: 'My neighbor is not my enemy, but my friend, and I am his, if we would but mutually recognize the fact. We help each other to a better, fuller, happier living; and this service might be greatly increased if we would cease to restrict, hamper, and oppress each other. Why can we not agree to let each live his own life, neither of us transgressing the limit that separates our individualiti...more

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Jan 24, 2013 Masha'el Ali rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

العقد الاجتماعي لجان جاك روسّو كتاب ذائع الصيت، ويتعبر إنجيل الثورة الفرنسية، يشرح فيه أنواع الحكومات (ملكية وديموقراطية وأرستوقراطية) وشرعية كلٍ منه.
وأن أي دولة لابد أن تنقسم إلى :
السيادة (السلطة التشريعية): وتمثل الإرادة العامة لكل الشعب ، وهي التي بيدها تشريع القوانين
والحكومة (السلطة التنفيذية): وهي التي تطبق تلك القوانين
ويُشدد على عدم الخلط بينها، فإذا كان المُشرّع هو نفسه من يطبق القوانين، فسوف يُخضع القوانين لإرادته الخاصة لا لإرادة الشعب ، وبذلك يُصنع الطغاة!
وأيضاً يدّعي أن حجم الدولة له...more

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Apr 21, 2011 Jesse Lopes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Of the classic social contract theorists, the "If God doesn't exist, what the fuck is society?" theorists, Rousseau seems to be the most radical and, consequently, most truthful; in Freudian terms, if Hobbes is the id and Locke the ego, Rousseau is the superego. Rousseau wants to know how we can get rid of rulers, and how we can become truly free. Certainly Hobbes is no visionary of freedom - Rousseau equates his reasoning with that of Caligula. Again, Locke is suspect of desiring chains to pres...more

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Mar 14, 2012 Chris Byron rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am a huge fan of Rousseau’s Discourse on Inequality, and was hoping to appreciate this book just as much. There is a telling irony in that in the former text, Rousseau sees civilization as incapable of being repaired, and the source of most of the problems of inequality through wealth and politics. Private property is an overall pariah to him, which ought not to exist.

As Rousseau got older he seems to have changed his mind a bit, and tempered that anarcho-primitvism. In the Social Contract we...more I am a huge fan of Rousseau’s Discourse on Inequality, and was hoping to appreciate this book just as much. There is a telling irony in that in the former text, Rousseau sees civilization as incapable of being repaired, and the source of most of the problems of inequality through wealth and politics. Private property is an overall pariah to him, which ought not to exist.

As Rousseau got older he seems to have changed his mind a bit, and tempered that anarcho-primitvism. In the Social Contract we see Rousseau setting himself the task, he would have once found impossible: developing a legitimate state, in the interest of the sovereign, that constantly develops towards equality, and not away from it. Unfortunately we are given zero insight into how the old ideology of the corrupt states, and rotten civilization are to be overcome at the moment of developing this grandiose social contract; this is a serious problem of praxis, probably not fully taken up until Gramsci.

Now it is worth pointing that Rousseau’s contract is significantly more radical, or left-wing, than anything Locke, Hegel, or Hobbes proposed. Rousseau does see excess property as a problem (unlike Hegel), and unlike Locke, Rousseau does see the origin of property as corrupting, and not beneficial. Moreover, Rousseau categorically rejects the idea of slavery, and a wage slave. Locke doesn’t touch upon the former, and in a single line in his entire Treatise, says a wage slave is A-OK. Given the overall momentum of the Treatise, it’s a perplexing passage. Rousseau asserts that labor ought to create products for itself and some excess for the community (so long as the community is doing the same), but not for private owners to capitalize on.

Rousseau believes government ought to work for the general will of the sovereign, and the sovereign ought only to meet and conduct legislative that serves the interest of the general will. The general will is to be distinguished from the particular will, and an example of healthcare should suffice. It is the general will that each of us ought to have health coverage, i.e., because each of us desires particularly and also generally, and our desires ought to be towards equality. The particular will would desire health care, and if it comes at a cost to the general population, it ceases to be a product for and by the general will. I.e., I start a health care corporation so I get free benefits, and my family gets free benefits, but all my customers pay excess in premiums and co pays. This is the very the system that we have come to live in, where we are “free” to “purchase” in the “free market.” Rousseau would roll in his grave and point out the lunacy of atomizing society into particular wills in competition with one another, as a true travesty, acting against the general will.

Although all these points are correct, or at least I appreciate most of them, the book still deserves 3 stars for a few reasons. There is certainly a tyrannical streak in Rousseau, of supporting the death penalty, and demanding people be “free” by “force” and “execution.” Moreover, Rousseau, like most social contract theorist, fails to consider the consequences of a minority who at first accepts the direction of the government, even if it votes against him constantly, to at a future date, resign his participation from a government he can no longer identify with; due to gradual change. Socrates made the same absurd point in I believe the Crito.

Also Rousseau at times is extremely contradictory, on one page arguing against tyranny, on another vesting individuals with tyrannical amounts of power; or demanding we are all free on one page, and on another that we are enslaved (at the same time). His notions of democracy are not properly fleshed out, and he believes one single law giver ought to bestow the contract in the communities’ interest. While at the same time believing no human is capable of developing a lasting constitution. He implores us on one page to generate a government of everlasting and perennial general will; while on another saying no government whatsoever can avoid receding into tyranny and despotism.

His logic is frequently atrocious, and entirely emotional. This isn’t inherently bad, emotion has its place in guiding reason, but do not present logical formulas as logical, when they are in fact entirely emotional. Be candid. Also, there’s a constant reliance on appealing to authority –Grotius- as whatever he says must be true, when Rousseau decides to appeal to him.

Still, if one finds themselves reading Locke, Hegel, and Hobbes, or Rand and Hayak, maybe even Novack, they ought to temper themselves with a good dosage of Rousseau.
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Sep 11, 2007 Jarrodtrainque added it · review of another edition

In Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Rousseau argues that inequalities of rank, wealth, and power are the inevitable result of the civilizing process. His sweeping account of humanity's social and political development epitomizes the innovative boldness of the Enlightenment, and it is one/ of the most provocative and influential works of the eighteenth century. This new translation by prize-winning translator Franklin Philip includes all of Rousseau's own notes, and Patrick Coleman's introd...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: rhetoric

If then we discard from the social compact what is not of its essence, we shall find that it reduces itself to the following terms:
"Each of us puts his person and all his power in common under the supreme direction of the general will, and, in our corporate capacity, we receive each member as an indivisible part of the whole." (I.6)

For Rousseau's social contract, members must willingly submit to a common "general will" of the whole populace, so much so that they are "indivisible." For this to wo...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Wayne marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: french-classics, philosophy, politics

PRE-READ:

WAS ROUSSEAU EVER AWARE OF THIS???!!!???

"We, who are just as good as you,

Swear to you
who are no better than ourselves,

To accept you as our king and sovereign lord

Provided you observe all our liberties and laws

But if not, NOT."

The sheer audacity and self-confidence of this declaration never ceases to jump out and seize me by throat and heart.I first read it in 1970 in Stephen Clissold's book "Spain", page 57 and copied it into my book of quotes which presently rests in my lap. Cli...more

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Jul 22, 2011 David Sarkies rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: philosophy

"Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains"". This is how Rousseau, an 18th Century philosopher, opens his treatise on good government. The writing is not so much about a good form of government, but rather how government should run to be the best for the people. Of some of the ideas he proposes is that the law giver and the sovereign are two different people, therefore to have the ability to make and execute the laws in the same hands is repugnant. In fact, though he does support monarch...more

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Feb 21, 2011 Delilah rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read The Social Contract and Rights of Man one after the other.

As a fierce supporter of the books, not downloads, I will first review the aesthetics of these two books. Both works are quite light considering the heavy content. I bought these first hand, so the covers are smooth, and the pages firm and crisp. I enjoy Wordsworth Classics beige pages, which I find very easy on the eyes, compared to the reflective, stark whites of the computer I look at for 8 hours a day (plus blogging time). I e...more I read The Social Contract and Rights of Man one after the other.

As a fierce supporter of the books, not downloads, I will first review the aesthetics of these two books. Both works are quite light considering the heavy content. I bought these first hand, so the covers are smooth, and the pages firm and crisp. I enjoy Wordsworth Classics beige pages, which I find very easy on the eyes, compared to the reflective, stark whites of the computer I look at for 8 hours a day (plus blogging time). I enjoy the picture on Rights of Man, painting “Fighting at the Hotel de Ville” by Jean Victor Schnetz. It is very indicative of the fervour which in contained inside. However I can’t help but feel the main subject’s face seems apathetic to his victory. The image on The Social Contract, “A Review of the Guards de la Ville de Paris – the municipal militia - outside the Hotel de Ville”, is set at the same location. It is simple, and straight to the point, but not altogether enjoyable or pleasing to the eye.

Paine’s words in Rights of Man has a great intensity and fierce tone, which I suppose is fantastically enjoyable if you happen to agree with all his arguments. I, however, could barely get past his scathing remarks and snide attitude to find exactly what his case is. I would also recommend you figure out who this Burke character is, and read whatever it was he wrote that made Paine so gosh-darn angry before commencing Rights of Man.

I found Rousseau’s arguments in The Social Contract easier to follow, and thus I found it a much more enjoyable read. Rousseau is quoted because he makes is points succinctly eg Might does not make right. Rousseau sets out his theories in a logical and rational manner, though there is still enough personal emotion not to put the reader to sleep.

I found the latter read more pleasurable as Rousseau was less prescriptive, and allows for the will of the people to choose. However, I found many of his methods for choosing a government are no longer applicable. Paine’s passion and steadfastness against certain forms of government does not allow for as much flexibility, and so I often felt like a chastised child.

Paine seems in constant fear of being caught in his own contradictions. He does not give the reader enough to credit. Several times he accuses Burke’s arguments of being so ill-founded and irrational that they do not warrant rebuttal. If the apologies and blank dismissals were cut out, the novel would be much shorter and to the point, and I would definitely be more sympathetic to his cause.

My overall winner is The Social Contract.

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Feb 11, 2009 Patrick rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Enlightenment was perhaps one of this first periods of modern history where the ideals of tolerance and the individuals' freedom began to be discussed in the cultured circles in Europe and the United States. That being said, Rousseau's ideas had a profound effect on the learned elite, and his influence can be clearly seen in the US Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.

Unlike many of his predecessors, Rousseau returns to a somewhat Classical approach in that man is inherently g...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Hamad Altasan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

الكتاب صغير إلى الأن مستغرب لماذا أخذت كل هالمدة في إنهائه الكتاب بسيط لا يوجد شرح كثير للمبادئ والحقوق كل مبدأ أو نظام سياسي لا يتعدى شرحها حوالي الثلاث صفحات،الذي إستنكرته من روسو إنه كان يكثر من إستعمال عبارات رياضية لتوضيح أفكاره كان هذا مشوش بالنسبة لي لأننا بشر ولسنا جمادات لا تستطيع إنك تحدد تحركاتنا وأرائنا وردود أفعالنا.

إقتباسات :
"يولد الإنسان حراً ويوجد الإنسان مقيداً في كل مكان"

"الإذعان للقوة هو عمل ضرورة لا إرداة"

"أعترف بأن كل سلطان يأتي من الرب،غير أن كل مرضٍ يأتي منه أيضاً،وهل يقص...more

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Mar 17, 2011 Shawn rated it 3 of 5 stars

He made a lot of great points in this book but I also felt that modern society had, in some ways, passed up and made some of his points irrelevant. Rousseau’s ideal reminds me of a perfect democracy in that he wants all involved and the body of the people make an irrevocable law. However, one of my big problems with a perfect democracy is almost the same problem dealt with in our republic (and here I mean our notion of a republic, not Rousseau’s definition of any legal framework ruled by the peo...more He made a lot of great points in this book but I also felt that modern society had, in some ways, passed up and made some of his points irrelevant. Rousseau’s ideal reminds me of a perfect democracy in that he wants all involved and the body of the people make an irrevocable law. However, one of my big problems with a perfect democracy is almost the same problem dealt with in our republic (and here I mean our notion of a republic, not Rousseau’s definition of any legal framework ruled by the people)-- that is the vast amount of laws and the girth thereof make them unwieldy. Show me a congress member that actually reads the hundreds of thousands of pages that cross his desk each day; Much less equipped is the average person who would have to deal with this as well as their daily toil.

I make this point again and again. We don’t need more laws, we need less laws and a more easily understood framework. There does not need to exist a sentence for every possible situation in existence. Besides being impossible, it is impractical. How even do you communicate all these laws to the laity? You can almost hear the cliché refrain now being touted: Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Except, as they saw in law school, when it is. Yet still the average member feels the frenetic need to be “doing,” and thus our framework sprawls like malignant cancer.

Be that as it may, here are some of the points and quotes I found interesting and my thoughts around then where applicable.

“Tranquillity is found also in dungeons; but is that enough to make them desirable places to live in?”

He says examine the people first and that if they are inappropriate don’t try to change them.

“The people of England regards itself as free; but it is grossly mistaken; it is free only during the election of members of parliament. As soon as they are elected, slavery overtakes it, and it is nothing. The use it makes of the short moments of liberty it enjoys shows indeed that it deserves to lose them.” The same could be said of these United States.
 “In a well-ordered city every man flies to the assemblies: under a bad government no one cares to stir a step to get to them, because no one is interested in what happens there, because it is foreseen that the general will will not prevail, and lastly because domestic cares are all-absorbing.”

He had a few chapters where it argued that different people need different government because their differences in diet, consumption, and climate. It seemed ridiculously immature given today’s global economy.

He talks a lot about all of the people being involved and that they cannot be wrong and that they have no will. However, what about the tyranny of the majority? What about the preservation of rights of those that are under represented?

On the joys of being stupid: “Men who are upright and simple are difficult to deceive because of their simplicity; lures and ingenious pretexts fail to impose upon them, and they are not even subtle enough to be dupes.”

On religion: “Every religion, therefore, being attached solely to the laws of the State which prescribed it, there was no way of converting a people except by enslaving it, and there could be no missionaries save conquerors.”

Overall, a recommended read for all.(less)

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Mar 04, 2013 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction-philosophy

"Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains."

I love reading the classics -- I love the idea of someone speaking to us across centuries of time. In this particular classic, a work of political philosophy, Jean-Jacques Rousseau makes the case for (you guessed it) the social contract theory of political organization.

In political philosophy, the social contract model posits that individuals have consented, either explicitly or implicitly, to surrender some portion of their freedoms and submit...more "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains."

I love reading the classics -- I love the idea of someone speaking to us across centuries of time. In this particular classic, a work of political philosophy, Jean-Jacques Rousseau makes the case for (you guessed it) the social contract theory of political organization.

In political philosophy, the social contract model posits that individuals have consented, either explicitly or implicitly, to surrender some portion of their freedoms and submit to the authority of a governing body (e.g., the determination of a majority), in exchange for protection of their remaining (presumably more crucial) rights. The idea is that the benefits of civilization under contract theory outweigh the benefits of living in a state of nature (so to speak). The social contract theory of governance stands apart from other forms of political organization based on theories such as pure utilitarianism, Hegelianism, and Marxism.

Although generally I support the social contract model of government -- albeit in its more perfectly realized articulation found in the works of John Rawls -- I can't say I agree with more than half of the material herein. Portions of Rousseau's argument are conclusory and totally lacking in evidentiary support. Some his classification schemes are a bit artificial (e.g., an idealized division of government administration into separated parts, the "sovereign" and the "general will"). In addition, there is insufficient regard for the generation of economic growth under a capitalist system that provides reasonable safeguards for private property. Finally, above all, Rousseau doesn't seem to grasp the value of representative democracy.

Perhaps, since this was published in 1762, some of these faults are to be expected. It's also equally likely that, not being a political philosopher myself, I may have failed to grasp the subtly of various points rendering my complaints in preceding paragraph misguided. Or not.

In any case, I can recommend this short work as a reasonably interesting philosophical journey into Enlightenment political thought -- and I should mention that the hilariously acerbic commentary on the realities and failings of human nature, peppered throughout the book, certainly makes the journey worthwhile.(less)

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Jan 19, 2009 St. rated it 5 of 5 stars

I picked up this a while ago because I had a sudden interest in politics and wanted to learn about an "alternative to our current liberal democracy" as the book jacket stated. I began to read it, but I quickly got bogged down in the reading and finally gave up. So a year later I ended up reading a biography on Rousseau. After learning about the period in which the Social Contract was written, I was able to read this book much more easily. Anyways, the Social Contract is probably Rousseau's most...more

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Mar 27, 2011 Catherine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, france, gender, law, work

First, this edition of The Social Contract is just exquisite. The letterpress cover, the setting, the typeface - they're beautiful things, and they make the content of the book that much more enjoyable. I'm so glad I have this particular edition of this particular book.

Second, I appreciate Rousseau's concise writing. After Hobbes and Locke, the man is positively monosyllabic (although that's only in comparison to the other two - in truth he's pretty fond of the long word), and he certainly offer...more

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May 21, 2009 Juan Pablo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Es este libro de Rousseau una apologia de cosas que ahora son parte de las creencias políticas más básicas, pero que en su tiempo eran motivo de disputas: la soberanía del pueblo, la libertad, los derechos individuales, etc. Es genial la parte en que critica a sus adeversarios, específicamente, los partidarios del absolutismo, con frases llenas de una fina ironía.
Debo confesar que a Rousseau lo leí con más excepticismo que a otros autores, un poco suspicaz por este optimismo sobre el estado o...more

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May 18, 2013 JP rated it 5 of 5 stars

Very concise and captivating. It is remarkable how much of it still pertains and even seems to have been predicted. One can easily see how the framers of the US Constitution relied on this work. [return][return]"Since no man has a natural authority over his fellow, and force creates no right, we much conclude that conventions form the basis of all legitimate authority among men."[return][return]"I shall end this chapter and this book by remarking on a fact on which the whole social system should...more

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Nov 06, 2012 Samira rated it 5 of 5 stars

مقتطعات من الكتاب قد تختصر وقعه فيّ

السياسة بالنسبة له لا تبررها ال"طبيعة" ولا المصلحة ولا القوة ولا الأمر الواقع إنما هي قبل كل شيء أخلاق , تحقق للأنسان الذي يكون إرادة وعقلا وضميرا وشعورا لا مجرد حاجة وهوى .إنها تفترض " علما بالإنسان" غير إن هذا العلم ليس موجودا إذ ان المؤلفين يكتفون بالنظر من حولهم والقول : هذا هو الإنسان.حقا,لكنه الانسان الذي افسدته حضارتنا القائمة على الاستلاب ,انسان المدن والجري وراء مصالحه المزعومة
.................
إذا أردنا أن نشيد صرحا فلا يجب إذاأن نجعله أبديا
لكي ننجح ي...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Bola Shokry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: philosophy, political

كتاب سياسي فلسفي للفيلسوف السويسري ذائع الصيت جان جاك روسو كتبه عام 1762 م. قيمة روسو السياسية في ان افكاره ونظرياته كانت حلقة وصل بين المفهوم التقليدي للدولة السائد العصور الوسطى وبين الدولة بمفوهما الحديث القائم الآن.

الكتاب من اربعة ابواب يُنظـِّر فيها روسو للشكل الأمثل لإقامة مجتمع سياسي قائم على توازن القوى.

يشدد روسو على أن السلطة هي ملك للشعب, وهو مفهوم قد يكون صادم في ذلك العصر, وأن الشعب هو مصدر كل السلطات, وكل سلطان غير مستمد من إرادة شعبية هو سلطان باطل.

أولا يشرح روسو نظريته في كيفية نش...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Samara Nouri rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own

مع ان الكتاب يبين تفاصيل مهمة ودقيقة في بناء كيان الدولة والمجتمع الحديث والحقوق والواجبات المترتبة على الحكام والمحكومين الا انه يجسد بشكل لافت للنظر هموم هذا الفيلسوف العبقري المشغول بمشاكل عصره والجهاد الذي بذله في سبيل أحلال المساواة والحرية والعدالة الاجتماعية أمام جبروت الحكم المطلق والوصاية التي تفرضها الكنيسة او اي مؤسسة دينية على الإنسان.

مؤكدآ في كل كتاباته ومؤلفاته موقفه الرافض والمتشاءم إزاء الأوضاع السياسية والاجتماعية والثقافية التي تميز بها المجتمع الفرنسي خلال القرن 18.

يقول الفيلس...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Fran Globlek rated it 4 of 5 stars

Convoluted at times, due to both Rousseau's new terminology and the depth of thought (again, using his idiosyncratic definitions), this was a book written to clarify things, an intention very evidently inferred upon reading, but that is understandable: this book covers and tries to explain a murky and uncertain topic, one much more convoluted than itself. How successfully has it done so? One needs simply to compare the First Republic to see its paramount influence on the new leaders, and althoug...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Douglas Dalrymple rated it 2 of 5 stars

In The Social Contract, Rousseau grants that man in the state of nature – the supposedly noble savage – is unable to live according to his potential for freedom and virtue. Society is necessary. The trouble is that freedom for Rousseau is not only being free of the constraints and whims of other persons, but in becoming subject to the depersonalized (that is, institutionalized) will of the social collective. This, he says, makes real virtue possible. Rousseau would not, I expect, endorse many of...more

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May 17, 2012 Jeremy Ra rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rousseau’s theoretical and personal eccentricities emerge as a unique strength in this book that left an indelible mark on Western philosophy. His ahistorical interpretation of the contractual theory that delineates human beings’ departure from the dictates of nature and their entry into new sets of cultural constraints still remains the most poignant analysis of human condition. "Social contract" is not a phrase of his invention, but Rousseau cemented it deeply in our understanding of society h...more

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Mar 22, 2012 megan rated it 3 of 5 stars

while perhaps not terribly convincing, rosseau does try his hand at a conceivable utopia. the vague idea of his premises, however inspiring, are less achievable for a society that's already progressed so far but contextually, his insights could not have come at a better time. still, rosseau certainly allows food for both contextual and modern day thought. if you skip past all the small points of error and controversy, rosseau at the heart of the social contract addresses the requirement for a mo...more

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Jan 08, 2011 Cody rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Social Contract argues against the idea that monarchs are divinely empowered to legislate; only the people, in the form of the sovereign, have that all powerful right. The social contract is each of us places his or her personal authority under the general/collective will, and the group receives each individual as an indivisible part of the whole.

I appreciate Rousseau's positive outlook of humanity and how men in a state of nature are free and equal and are, as he calls them, “Noble Savages”...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Ahmad Noaman rated it 4 of 5 stars

كتاب تكمن أهميته في أنه يُعد كما يُقال "انجيل الثورة الفرنسية" فعلي أفكاره ومبادئه قامت الثورة علي الرغم من الاضطهاد الذي قاساه روسو وقت كتابته ونشره اياه

يتناول الكتاب اختصارا الحقوق التي يجب أن تقوم عليها المجتمعات وانه أيا كان الكيان السياسي الذي يقوم علي خدمة الشعب -فهي وظيفته في المقام الأول والأخير- مصيره الي زوال مالم يكن عادلا مساويا بين الناس

ويشرح روسو ذلك عن طريق تناوله للعديد من المفاهيم كالطبيعة الأولي والعبودية والتملك وأشكال الحكومات -قياسا علي وقته وماسبقه- وأنواع الكيانات السياسية...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Ruth rated it 3 of 5 stars

It's hard for me to really think about bigger governance structures b/c they're too big and far from me (which is one of Rosseau's points, I guess) but this book made me think a lot about the governance structure of my school and the assumptions that are underneath the way we do things. I liked the way the guy broke it all down- it was full of all these ideas that we kind of know already but maybe haven't heard put so simply. I couldn't get into the case study of Rome at the end, though, maybe b...more

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Jul 21, 2011 Robyn Blaber rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: french-literature, philosophy

Having celebrated Bastille day without having read Rousseau's The Social Contract seemed wrong somehow. It is as insightful as you would expect a 250 year old political book to be; simultaneously innovative and silly. 5 minutes of C-Span has me convinced that the US would be better off with an absolute monarchy and the lofty ideals of Locke and Rousseau relegated to the trash bin, since they both greatly underestimate the power that corporations would eventually come to hold in democratic system...more

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Dec 23, 2012 Lola rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, essays, philosophy

One day, driving home from school with my mom, I spotted a rummage sale at a Lutheran church nearby. Naturally, we succumbed to our sense of adventure and went inside. I immediately dove into their books, the pile of ones I wanted higher than my head. Among these was The Social Contract. When I was checking out, the lady looked over all of my books and stopped at this one. She said, "Oh, this one is going to be difficult." I, being the avid bookworm that I am, was mildly offended before remembe...more One day, driving home from school with my mom, I spotted a rummage sale at a Lutheran church nearby. Naturally, we succumbed to our sense of adventure and went inside. I immediately dove into their books, the pile of ones I wanted higher than my head. Among these was The Social Contract. When I was checking out, the lady looked over all of my books and stopped at this one. She said, "Oh, this one is going to be difficult." I, being the avid bookworm that I am, was mildly offended before remembering that her comment is somewhat valid considering I'm not even sixteen. I just smiled and said, "I like a challenge." I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into.

It's no wonder The Social Contract inspired so many vastly different movements. There's a lot to be interpreted here, so much that you never really understand what Rousseau's true point is or what side he is on. Well, actually that's not true. Rousseau is trying to study freedom, trying to understood how people can keep it and how government affects it. There is a lot of drivel here. Rousseau likes to do a lot of comparisons to ancient governments such as the Romans and Greeks. Some sections are simply baffling, and I struggled through them. There are, however, golden nuggets in The Social Contract. Rousseau argues passionately for freedom, stating that “Every man having been born free and master of himself, no one else may under any pretext whatever subject him without his consent. To assert that the son of a slave is born a slave is to assert that he is not born a man.” In a society with parts of the world still entrenched in slavery, this is a bold statement. He also argues against democracy, true democracy at least. Rousseau claims that only gods could have such a perfect government, and maybe he's right.

Overall, I think a lot of what Rousseau has to say is sound and relevant to today. There is a lot that can and will be interpreted from The Social Contract, but I think it is a study of society and freedom more than anything. An thought provoking read I highly recommend.
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About Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau remains an important figure in the history of philosophy, both because of his contributions to political philosophy and moral psychology and because of his influence on later thinkers. Rousseau's own view of philosophy and philosophers was firmly negative, seeing philosophers as the post-hoc rationalizers of self-interest, as apologists for various forms of tyranny, and as pl...more Jean-Jacques Rousseau remains an important figure in the history of philosophy, both because of his contributions to political philosophy and moral psychology and because of his influence on later thinkers. Rousseau's own view of philosophy and philosophers was firmly negative, seeing philosophers as the post-hoc rationalizers of self-interest, as apologists for various forms of tyranny, and as playing a role in the alienation of the modern individual from humanity's natural impulse to compassion. The concern that dominates Rousseau's work is to find a way of preserving human freedom in a world where human beings are increasingly dependent on one another for the satisfaction of their needs. This concern has two dimensions: material and psychological, of which the latter has greater importance. In the modern world, human beings come to derive their very sense of self from the opinion of others, a fact which Rousseau sees as corrosive of freedom and destructive of individual authenticity. In his mature work, he principally explores two routes to achieving and protecting freedom: the first is a political one aimed at constructing political institutions that allow for the co-existence of free and equal citizens in a community where they themselves are sovereign; the second is a project for child development and education that fosters autonomy and avoids the development of the most destructive forms of self-interest. However, though Rousseau believes the co-existence of human beings in relations of equality and freedom is possible, he is consistently and overwhelmingly pessimistic that humanity will escape from a dystopia of alienation, oppression, and unfreedom. In addition to his contributions to philosophy, Rousseau was active as a composer and a music theorist, as the pioneer of modern autobiography, as a novelist, and as a botanist. Rousseau's appreciation of the wonders of nature and his stress on the importance of feeling and emotion made him an important influence on and anticipator of the romantic movement. To a very large extent, the interests and concerns that mark his philosophical work also inform these other activities, and Rousseau's contributions in ostensibly non-philosophical fields often serve to illuminate his philosophical commitments and arguments.
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“Every man having been born free and master of himself, no one else may under any pretext whatever subject him without his consent. To assert that the son of a slave is born a slave is to assert that he is not born a man.” — 53 people liked it

“...in respect of riches, no citizen shall ever be wealthy enough to buy another, and none poor enough to be forced to sell himself.” — 26 people liked it

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