The Social Contract, then, may be regarded either as a document of the French Revolution, or as one of the greatest books dealing with political philosophy. It is in the second capacity, as a work of permanent value containing truth, that it finds a place among the world's great books.
The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Social Contract & Discourses, by ...
The Social Contract, originally published as On the Social Contract; or, Principles of Political Right (French: Du contrat social; ou, Principes du droit politique), is a 1762 French-language book by the Genevan philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract. One of those books I chose to read, because I knew I had to, is not the best way to set about reading a classical work on philosophy. Rosseau's classic about the responsibility and contract between the government and the governed is better studied than just simply read from cover to cover. 5 out of 12.
“The Social Contract,” says M. Dreyfus-Brisac, “is the book of all books that is most talked of and least read.” But with the great revival of interest in political philosophy there has come a desire for the better understanding of Rousseau’s work.
To bring this chapter and this book to an end, I’ll remark on a fact that should be the basis for any social system, namely: The basic compact doesn’t destroy natural inequal-ity; rather, it replaces such physical inequalities as nature may have set up between men by an equality that is moral and legitimate, so that men who may be ...
This 1913 edition of Rousseau’s works includes the famous Social Contract as well as 3 discourses on Arts and Sciences, the Origin of Inequality, and Political Economy. Rousseau’s writings inspired liberals and non-liberals alike which makes him rather controversial in the history of political thought.