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The Social Contract

Pages
176
Published
2006
Language
English

Synopsis

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's "The Social Contract" is a foundational text in political philosophy. It explores the idea that legitimate political authority comes from a social contract agreed upon by all citizens. Rousseau argues for a direct democracy where the general will of the people guides the state.

About the author

J
Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a major Genevois philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism. His political philosophy influenced the French Revolution and the development of modern political, sociological and educational thought. His novel, Emile: or, On Education, which he considered his most important work, is a seminal treatise on the education of the whole person for citizenship. His sentimental novel, Julie, ou la nouvelle Héloïse, was of great importance to the development...