Basic Political Writings [Paperback]

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Author), Donald A. Cress (Editor, Translator), Peter Gray (Introduction)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0872200477 | ISBN-13: 978-0872200470 | Publication Date: November 1, 1987

'The publication of these excellent translations is a happy occasion for teachers of courses in political philosophy and the history of political theory...' - Raymon M Lemos, "Teaching Philosophy".

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The publication of these excellent translations is a happy occasion for teachers of courses in political philosophy and the history of political theory..." -- Raymon M. Lemos, Teaching Philosophy "The single most comprehensive, reliable and economical collection of Rousseau's explicitly political writings." --Michael Franz, Loyola College

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation)

Product Details

• Paperback: 227 pages
• Publisher: Hackett Pub Co (November 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0872200477
• ISBN-13: 978-0872200470
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,335 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rousseau Comments on Society and the General Will of Man, March 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Basic Political Writings (Paperback)

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's "The Basic Political Writings," have a two part effect. Rousseau uses the first portion of the book, the discourses on science and the arts, the origin of inequality, and political economy, to describe the basic policies of then modern society. Rousseau describes the creation of society as a threat against the laws of nature. Rousseau also explains that the origin of society coincides with the concept of personal property. From there society develops by who controls whom into a political system. Rousseau comments on several points in "The Social Contract." In the first book of "The Social Contract" Rousseau explains the limiting of the human spirit by the bonds of society. This is the origin of the infamous line, "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." Books two and three describe the attitudes of a nation and its responsibilities to both other nations and its own people. The final book of "The Social Contract" affirms the point that a nation cannot destroy the general will of the people. "The Basic Political Writings" are considered an excellent resource on society simply for its commentary on the general will. Rousseau's writings are amazing when coupled with the later thoughts of Karl Marx in "The Communist Manifesto." Obvious correlation's can be made between Rousseau's commentary and Marx's ideals of the creation of a communist society. Although these writings may not be for the average reader, the points they make extremely thought provoking.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rousseau's influence on Kant, May 13, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Basic Political Writings (Paperback)

A more immediate influence of Rousseau's political thought was on the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, sometimes called "the philosopher of the French Revolution." Kant took over Rousseau's emphasis on the faculty of will and incorporated it into his political philosophy, especially in Part II of "The Metaphysics of Morals," "The Metaphysical Elements of Justice." There Kant, unlike Rousseau, favored a constitutional government rather than a direct democracy. But he utilized Rousseau's notion of the social contract in the form of a hypothetical agreement among autonomous individuals. Kant's conception of a hypothetical contract was in turn applied by John Rawls in his "A Theory of Justice," so it may be argued that Kant is in some respects a precursor of liberal representive democracy. Rousseau's idea of democracy has more application to contemporary theorists of participatory democracy than it does to Marx, whose "dictatorship of the proletariat" was largely undeveloped. And Mill's "On Liberty" is in many ways a critique of Rousseau's General Will, in that Mill asserted, among other things, that "if all of mankind except one were of one opinion, and that one were of another, all of mankind would be no more justified in silencing that man that would he in silencing all of mankind." So Rousseau's conception of positive freedom (i.e., "freedom to. . ."), encapsulated in his notorious remark that it may be necessary to "force men to be free," has no place in Mill's "On Liberty," which advances the more Anglo-American notion of negative freedom (i.e., "freedom from. . ."). Furthermore, Mill favored a form of representative government (as put forth in his treatise of the same name), so he differs from Rousseau on that point as well.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still Very Relevant for the Modern Reader, June 7, 2009

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Edward J. Barton (Tukwila, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Basic Political Writings (Paperback)

"Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." - probably Rousseau's most famous line. The Basic Political Writings contains four key works:

* Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts
* Discourse on the Origins of Inequality
* Discourse on Political Economy
* On the Social Contract (where the above quote is from)

Rousseau was certainly controversial 250 years ago when he first was published, and because of that, remains both interesting and relevant today. His admontions on governmental action, democracy, authoritarianism, "progress" and religion are all relevant, and make one think. Though certainly not onsidered a moderate in his day, Rousseau's position would largely be considered the middle way today.