The Social Contract (Penguin Books for Philosophy)

"Social contract" is a term that is thrown about pretty widely in our society. People will talk in a casual if sometimes facile manner about the idea that people willingly give up the theoretically total freedom of a state of nature in exchange for the benefits that life in a civilized society provides. But what Jean-Jacques Rousseau means by the term, as expressed in his classic work "The Social Contract" (1762), is much more complex and much more nuanced.

"Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains" -- it is on this seemingly paradoxical note that Rousseau begins "The Social Contract." Indeed, there is a contrarian strain to Rousseau's work that is at once infuriating and refreshing. One gets the sense that Rousseau enjoyed the philosophical challenge of taking on the counterintuitive side of an argument, of expressing whatever might go against the received wisdom of his time. At the same time, however, one always has a strong sense that the man from Geneva believes deeply in what he says.

Rousseau takes great care in differentiating between the executive and legislative functions of government, just as carefully as he distinguishes between "the sovereign" and "the government." Perhaps because I was traveling in Lucerne while reading "The Social Contract," I took particular interest in Rousseau's assertion that small countries were best suited for republican government, as when he writes that democratic government is best suited to "a very small state, where the people may be readily assembled and where each citizen may easily know all the others" (p. 113). Looking at the beautiful little cities of Switzerland, each one sheltered by a cool clear lake at its front and a wall of mountains at its back, I could understand why Rousseau may have thought that such a setting was perfect for successful republican government. It seems worthy of mentioning, in that connection, that Geneva is still officially "the *Republic and* Canton of Geneva" (emphasis mine). Truly, the Swiss take their independence seriously. Think about *that* the next time you're in the old section of Zurich, enjoying some cheese fondue and a glass of Chasselas.

How, I found myself wondering, would Rousseau have felt about the United States as an experiment in building a large republic? When Rousseau wrote "The Social Contract" in 1762, the French & Indian War was not yet over, and the idea of American independence from Great Britain was not even on the horizon. By the time Rousseau died in 1778, the Continental Army had won the battle of Saratoga, and American independence was starting to seem like more of a real possibility. Did Rousseau ever talk about any of that? I don't know.

There were plenty of times when I found myself disagreeing with Rousseau. Among the city-states of classical Greece, he prefers Sparta to Athens, and I could not disagree with him more in that regard. I also thought that he treated the topic of dictatorship much too lightly and casually, as when he assures us that "a dictator could in certain cases defend the public freedom without ever being able to invade it" (p. 172); if he had lived through the 20th century, and had been writing "The Social Contract" in, say, 1962 rather than 1762, perhaps he would written about dictatorship quite differently. But I think Rousseau would have liked having readers disagree with him; for him, that was no doubt an integral part of the dialogue regarding the relationship between the individual and society.

This Penguin edition of "The Social Contract" is a good way for a first-time reader of Rousseau to get to know the philosopher and his work. The preface by British scholar and translator Maurice Cranston does an excellent job of situating "The Social Contract" in its social and historical context, and in terms of the biographical facts of Rousseau's life. Rousseau's reflections on government, on society, on sovereignty (be ready to hear a lot about the "general will"), are always thought-provoking. Read "The Social Contract"; and when you are done reading it, reflect on how you as an individual relate to the society in which you live. How do you feel regarding the terms of the contract that Jean-Jacques Rousseau says you have signed?

This book is a well-done standard edition of the most important of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's political writings, using the classic Cole introduction and translation. It is nicely bound, in the manner of quality books before cheap paperbacks took over the industry. The size, 4.5" x 7.25" 325 pages, makes it a convenient carry-along for reading, as usual in the Everyman's Library. Good quality printing and binding in every respect.

There are other more current editions of Rousseau's writings available, but this one has stood the test of time.

With that, Cole was sympathetic toward Rousseau's political theories, which makes for good translation, but not a very objective analysis. In my opinion, Cole completely misunderstands the implications of Rousseau's invocation of the General Will, which perhaps with some distortion by later readers, has been responsible for many of the social-political disasters of the past two hundred years, including the Reign of Terror and guillotine excess of the French revolution under Robespierre.

The “Social Contract,” published 1762, is a very elegant piece of writing. Rousseau's knowledge of history, human nature, and his use of logic create a cogent argument. He illustrates through example how men can live together with equality and equity if allowed to. The modern reader might think the ideas of the French Enlightenment obvious—even quaint.

The oppression, torture, and death inflicted upon the common man by the early and middle years of Christianity have since disappeared, but human nature has remained constant. For recent generations the reign of Stalin, Hitler, and Mao Zedong are living memories; and now, with the fiefdoms of Islam, it is happening again.

How quaint is the advice given to us centuries earlier—how deaf have we become?

Or is it our nature?

I didn't think that Ardrey (or anyone else for that matter) could surpass the excellence of The Territorial Imperative as the standard reference on human socio-political organisation, but I'm starting to think The Social Contract might just achieve that. I'm an unabashed Ardrey fan, so perhaps it's not surprising. Ardrey is a fine, ethical scientist who made no effort to be politically correct. I found this book riveting from the first page to the last, and like Territorial Imperative did some years ago, it formed a watershed in my understanding of the puzzling penchant of my species for warfare in all its many forms. I wish I could give it ten stars.

I didn't know any of Rousseau's background. He was kind of a dirt bag. That said he's a dirt bag who writes amazingly well and I felt pumped up before realizing how many contradictions are in his work. I see how this helped spur revolutions but failed to provided guidance on what to do after them!

An important piece of history, and an honest look at Democracy and Republics through the eyes of someone who was accustomed to government that included royalty and aristocracy.