One of the most important works in Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s prolific career, The Social Contract begins with a rejection of Hobbes’ premise that civil society begins with individuals relinquishing power to a sovereign King. (See Hobbes’ Leviathan.) No one has a “natural right” to rule over others, Rousseau argues, but all men are born equal and free. Unfortunately, though:
The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
One of the most important works in Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s prolific career, The Social Contract begins with a rejection of Hobbes’ premise that civil society begins with individuals relinquishing power to a sovereign King. (See Hobbes’ Leviathan.) No one has a “natural right” to rule over others, Rousseau argues, but all men are born equal and free. Unfortunately, though: