Of The Social Contract and Other Political Writings
Author | : Jean-Jacques Rousseau |
Publisher | : Penguin UK |
Total Pages | : 400 |
Release | : 2012-10-04 |
Genre | : Philosophy |
ISBN | : 014193199X |
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'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 Hoare With a new introduction by Christopher Bertram