Of the Social Contract and Other Political Writings - by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"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.

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About the Author

Quintin Hoare has translated from Italian, French, German, Russian, and Bosnian and is a winner of the John Florio Prize, the Scott-Moncrieff Prize, and the Schlegel-Tieck Prize.

Christopher Bertram is a professor of social and political philosophy at the University of Bristol in England. He is the author of Rousseau and the Social Contract and is a past president of the Rousseau Association.