The Social Contract

byJean-Jacques Rousseau, Maurice Cranston (Translator), Maurice Cranston (Introducer)
'Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains'

These are the famous opening words of a treatise that has not ceased to stir vigorous debate since its first publication in 1762. Rejecting the view that anyone has a natural right to wield authority over others, Rousseau argues instead for a pact, or 'social contract', that should exist between all the citizens of a state and that should be the source of sovereign power. From this fundamental premise, he goes on to consider issues of liberty and law, freedom and justice, arriving at a view of society that has seemed to some a blueprint for totalitarianism, to others a declaration of democratic principles.

About Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Details
  • Imprint: Penguin Classics
  • ISBN: 9780140442014
  • Length: 192 pages
  • Dimensions: 198mm x 11mm x 129mm
  • Weight: 148g
  • Price: £10.99