The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Introduction

The Social Contract is essential in the history of political ideas: the revolutionaries like Robespierre or Saint-Just find it a source of inspiration, and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen of 1789. At the beginning, of the text, Rousseau does not present itself as a politician: he presents himself as being born in a "free state" and he as a citizen is talking about politics (Wokler, 2005). Rousseau's Social Contract was published in April 1762, surprised by the evidence of political principles that constitute it. He invented the idea of absolute democracy by taking the people as objects less than about his speech.

His political treaty no longer applies to only rulers, princes or advice, but also to the government. This shift from top to bottom hierarchy of the social contract is civil rather the theoretical gathering of humanity citizen. The Social Contract provides the solution to the government of man, that of self-government - obedience to his person, the law requires it. His natural liberty turns into moral freedom. This paper is focusing on finding reason behind Rousseau thinking which says that only the power of each citizen in the sovereign legislation procedure is consistent with the notion of legitimate law (or the social contract). In addition, this paper also focuses on Rousseau's worry about the degree to which economic inequality exists in his "ideal" state.

In Social Contract for Rousseau, the primeval man (who was in the state of nature) is a being without malice, which is dominated by two basic feelings: love of self, that is the instinct of self, and pity (revulsion for the suffering alien), but as the population grows groups are coming together, this union creates false needs, to cover the man invented agriculture and livestock, but the more you want the best man, and certain people accumulate wealth, they suffer for their lives and their wealth because of the fears created promote a pact, the pact will be the first legal code. Rousseau became a myth, used by either right and left. Complex book because of the many possible readings, this new edition has tried to understand the text in light of the conceptual framework of the eighteenth century and the author's other works.

Question 1

The power of each citizen in the sovereign legislation procedure is consistent with the notion of legitimate law (or the social contract) because the sovereign is the primary source of power. A Person cannot alienate himself. It is the source of laws that can change them. In short, citizens are the government. The individual is both the man and the citizen: his private interests and public interests (company). A person for forming an association of people should be framed in the covenant, existence of the sovereign is necessary who can give viability to the shares of the common people, the duties to the association of the sovereign, when a member of the body refuses compliance with any matter ...