On Rousseau's Social Contract
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU on
THE SOCIAL CONTRACT
An Analyses Paper
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of Philosophy 4: Socio-Political Philosophy; for the Second Semester of the School Year 2013
Saint Louis University
Submitted by:
ALLAYANS, Jy-ar
ABRIL, Jover
ADA-OL, Zhareth
BAUCAS, Stephanie L.
NADIAHAN, Maureen
WACDAGAN, Jona
MACEDA, Janet
NANGLEDAN, Rescilyn
POCOPIO, Maydee
CORPUZ, Anne Bernadette
Submitted to:
MR. DON G. DE GUZMAN
Faculty/ Instructor
Department of Philosophy
Date Submitted:
March 09, 2013
I. THE SOCIAL CONTRACT
Rousseau begins The Social Contract with the notable phrase "Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains." Because these chains are not found in the state of nature, they must be constructions of convention. Rousseau thus seeks the basis for a legitimate, political authority in which people must give up their natural liberty. He sets two conditions for a lawful polity and creates several clauses to ensure that they are carried out. First, there must be no relationships of particular dependence in the state, and second, by obeying the laws, an individual only obeys himself. Rousseau 's solution to the problem of legitimate authority is the "social contract," an agreement by which the people band together for their mutual preservation. This act of association creates a collective body called the "sovereign." The sovereign is the supreme authority in the state, and has its own life and will. The sovereign 's interest, or the "general will," always promotes the common good. This is in contrast to the private will of each citizen, which strives only for personal benefit.
The law expresses the general will, and must only make regulations that affect the entire populace. The goal of legislation is to protect liberty and equality and to promote the common good. However, the people may not always know how to pursue the common good and may need the help of a legislator to guide them in
THE SOCIAL CONTRACT
An Analyses Paper
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of Philosophy 4: Socio-Political Philosophy; for the Second Semester of the School Year 2013
Saint Louis University
Submitted by:
ALLAYANS, Jy-ar
ABRIL, Jover
ADA-OL, Zhareth
BAUCAS, Stephanie L.
NADIAHAN, Maureen
WACDAGAN, Jona
MACEDA, Janet
NANGLEDAN, Rescilyn
POCOPIO, Maydee
CORPUZ, Anne Bernadette
Submitted to:
MR. DON G. DE GUZMAN
Faculty/ Instructor
Department of Philosophy
Date Submitted:
March 09, 2013
I. THE SOCIAL CONTRACT
Rousseau begins The Social Contract with the notable phrase "Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains." Because these chains are not found in the state of nature, they must be constructions of convention. Rousseau thus seeks the basis for a legitimate, political authority in which people must give up their natural liberty. He sets two conditions for a lawful polity and creates several clauses to ensure that they are carried out. First, there must be no relationships of particular dependence in the state, and second, by obeying the laws, an individual only obeys himself. Rousseau 's solution to the problem of legitimate authority is the "social contract," an agreement by which the people band together for their mutual preservation. This act of association creates a collective body called the "sovereign." The sovereign is the supreme authority in the state, and has its own life and will. The sovereign 's interest, or the "general will," always promotes the common good. This is in contrast to the private will of each citizen, which strives only for personal benefit.
The law expresses the general will, and must only make regulations that affect the entire populace. The goal of legislation is to protect liberty and equality and to promote the common good. However, the people may not always know how to pursue the common good and may need the help of a legislator to guide them in
Bibliography: Books: Brennan, Geoffrey and James Buchanan (2000 [1985]). The Reason of Rules: Constitutional Political Economy. The Collected Works of James M. Buchanan, Volume 10. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, Inc. Copyright (C) 1999-2013 GradeSaver LLC. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Freeman, Samuel (2007a). Justice and the Social Contract. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (2007b). “The Burdens of Justification: Constructivism, Contractualism and Publicity.” Politics, Philosophy & Economics, vol. 6 (February): 5-44. Locke, John (1960 [1689]). The Second Treatise of Government in Two Treatises of Government, Peter Laslett, ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 283-446. Internet Site: Agostino, F. (2011). Contemporary Approaches to the Social Contract. Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved February 28, 2013, from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/contractarianism-contemporary. (199-2013). The Social Contract Summary and Analysis. . Retrieved March 02, 2013, from http://www.gradesaver.com/the-social-contract/study-guide/section12/.