Of the Social Contract and Other Political Writings

356 pages

Published 2012 by Penguin Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-14-119175-1
OCLC Number:: 793685242

(1 review)

Man was born free, and everywhere he is in chains.' These are the famous opening words of a treatise that has stirred vigorous debate ever since its first publication in 1762. Rejecting the view that anyone has a natural right to wield authority over others, Rousseau argues instead for a pact, or 'social contract', that should exist between all the citizens of a state and that should be the source of sovereign power. From this fundamental premise, he goes on to consider issues of liberty and law, freedom and justice, arriving at a view of society that has seemed to some a blueprint for totalitarianism, to others a declaration of democratic principles. Translated by Quintin HoareWith.

1 edition

4thace reviewed Of the Social Contract and Other Political Writings by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Surprises in a theory of government 250 years old

4 stars

This was a challenging book to consume in audiobook form. It demands the listener to understand concepts in political philosophy and political sociology, to construct an awareness of 18th century European history, and put aside preconceptions of the intent of the author, all in an aural format. some words such as "sovereign" and "magistrate" turn out to have a meaning different from what I thought at first. Also, some of the writings here come down to us in a fragmentary form so things are not as orderly as one would like. The author is building on and replying to earlier political science and economics works by Montesquieu, Hobbes, Machiavelli, and others on specific points so some of the intent is probably lost when those other works aren't at hand. Despite all the difficulties, it was an engaging piece of scholarship.

As suggested by the title there are a number of …

This was a challenging book to consume in audiobook form. It demands the listener to understand concepts in political philosophy and political sociology, to construct an awareness of 18th century European history, and put aside preconceptions of the intent of the author, all in an aural format. some words such as "sovereign" and "magistrate" turn out to have a meaning different from what I thought at first. Also, some of the writings here come down to us in a fragmentary form so things are not as orderly as one would like. The author is building on and replying to earlier political science and economics works by Montesquieu, Hobbes, Machiavelli, and others on specific points so some of the intent is probably lost when those other works aren't at hand. Despite all the difficulties, it was an engaging piece of scholarship.

As suggested by the title there are a number of pieces included here along with Of the Social Contract - Principles of the Right of War, Letters Written from the Mountains, Constitutional Proposal for Corsica, and Considerations on the Government of Poland. I actually thought the last two sets of essays were the most interesting because the author has to deal with specifics of how one implements a new system of government and not just talking about idealized concepts. Neither of the plans ended up going into effect because of circumstances, not because of inherent weaknesses.

To the extent that the author is remembered these days it is as a progenitor of the revolutions happening around 1800, but these texts show that the connection is not so straightforward. It is not the case that Rousseau favors liberty over monarchy or oligarchy. At times the recommendation is explicitly the opposite, sometimes for pragmatic reasons that became clearer during the revolutions decades later. There's an excitement when some far out idea puts in an appearance. One of these was the advice to deny voting rights to men who weren't married with children. It reminded me of when this idea popped up again during the 2024 US presidential campaign.