The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
"The Social Contract" is a philosophical work that discusses the concepts of sovereignty and the social contract. The author argues that all men are born free, but everywhere they are in chains, suggesting that society and its rules are a form of enslavement. However, he also posits that a social contract, where individuals come together to form a collective or a society, is necessary for the preservation of their freedom. This contract allows for the creation of a sovereign that is made up of the collective and expresses the general will, which is always right and tends towards the public utility.
The 545th greatest book of all time
- Published
- 1762
- Nationality
- French
- Type
- Nonfiction
- Pages
- 150-200
- Words
- 50,000
- Original Language
- French
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This book is on the following lists:
- 427th on The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Culture Café)
- 1238th on Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- The Guardian's Essential Library (The Guardian)
- Inteliquest's World's 100 Greatest Books of All-Time (InteliQuest)
- The Well-Educated Mind (Book)
- 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library (The Telegraph)
- The Twenty Greatest Philosophy Books (Book from 2006) (James Garvey)
- 50 Greatest Books of All Time (Globe and Mail)