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Of the Social Contract and Other Political Writings view larger size

Of the Social Contract and Other Political Writings

Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Author

Quintin Hoare - Translator

Christopher Bertram - Editor/introduction

Christopher Bertram - Notes by

Paperback | $11.00 | add to cart | view cart
ISBN 9780141191751 | 192 pages | 24 Dec 2012 | Penguin Classics | 5.07 x 7.79in | 18 - AND UP
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A lively new translation of Rousseau's best-known work, accompanied by additional political writings
 
"Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains" are the famous opening words of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Social Contract, a work of political philosophy that has stirred vigorous debate ever since its publication in 1762. Rejecting the view that anyone has a natural right to sovereignty, Rousseau argues instead for a pact—a "social contract"—that should exist among all the citizens of a state and that should be the source of governing power. From this premise, he goes on to consider issues of liberty and justice, arriving at a view of society that has seemed to some a blueprint for totalitarianism, to others a declaration of democratic principles.