The Social Contract: Rosseau (II 76)

Author Bio: Rousseau was born in 1712 and died in 1778. He was a political philosopher who Believed that man was good when in a state of nature. He was known for his controversial views on religion and questioned the assumption that the will of the majority is always correct.

The Social Contract (1762) that the state of nature was a primitive and in brutish condition, without law or morality, which humans deliberately left for the benefits and necessity of cooperation.

Date/Context: The Social Contract was written in 1762.

Summary: Rousseau states in the first sentence that man faces crisis when they have insufficient personal strength to deal with the problem. He also says that the “force and liberty of a man are the chief instruments of his preservation.” Rousseau asks the reader to consider thinking about a form of association where while still being part of a whole group, you can focus on your individual needs and property. He says that the social contract theory is the solution for this because it does not exist, at least as far as he can see. Rousseau encourages the reader to remember one single point if nothing else. It is “The total alienation of each associate, and all his rights, to the whole community.” His goal is to create a “moral, collective body” of persons. Rousseau believes that each man is entitled to a private will that is different from his will that comes from being a citizen. In order for the Social Contract Theory to be successful according to Rousseau, is to obey the general will because this guarantees his absolute personal independence.

Key Quotation:  “force and liberty of a man are the chief instruments of his preservation.” (76)