Discourse on political economy : and, The social contract / Jean-Jacques Rousseau ; translated with introduction and notes by Christopher Betts.
By: Rousseau, Jean-Jacques.
Contributor(s): Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. Du contrat social. English. 1994.
Material type:
BookSeries: World's classics: Publisher: Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1994Description: xxix, 216 p. ; 19 cm.ISBN: 0192827502.Uniform titles: Discours sur l'oeconomie politique Subject(s): Political science
| Social contractDDC classification: 320.01 | Item type | Current library | Call number | Copy number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Lending | MTU Bishopstown Library Lending | 320.01 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 00014404 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
Revolutionary in its own time and controversial to this day, this work is a permanent classic of political theory and a key source of democratic belief. Rousseau's concepts of "the general will" as a mode of self-interest uniting for a common good, and the submission of the individual to government by contract inform the heart of democracy, and stand as its most contentious components today. Also included in this edition is Rousseau's Discourse on Political Economy", a key transitional work between his Discourse on Inequality and The Social Contract. This new translation offers fresh insight into a cornerstone of political thought, which is further illuminated by a comprehensive introduction and notes.
Includes bibliographical references (p. xxv-xxvi) and index.
Political economy -- The social contract -- Book I -- Book II -- Book III -- Book IV.
Table of contents provided by Syndetics
- Oxford World's Classics the Social Contract (p. i)
- Oxford World's Classics (p. ii)
- Acknowledgements (p. v)
- A Note On The Text And Translation (p. xxiv)
- Select Bibliography (p. xxv)
- A Chronology Of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (p. xxvii)
- Political Economy (p. 1)
- The Social Contract or the Principles of Political Right (p. 43)
- Prefatory Note (p. 44)
- Book I (p. 45)
- Book II (p. 63)
- Book III (p. 91)
- Book IV (p. 134)
- Appendix the: General Society of the Human Race (p. 169)
- EXPLANATORY NOTES (p. 176)
- Index (p. 213)
Author notes provided by Syndetics
Jean Jacques Rousseau was a Swiss philosopher and political theorist who lived much of his life in France. Many reference books describe him as French, but he generally added "Citizen of Geneva" whenever he signed his name. He presented his theory of education in Emile (1762), a novel, the first book to link the educational process to a scientific understanding of children; Rousseau is thus regarded as the precursor, if not the founder, of child psychology. "The greatest good is not authority, but liberty," he wrote, and in The Social Contract (1762) Rousseau moved from a study of the individual to an analysis of the relationship of the individual to the state: "The art of politics consists of making each citizen extremely dependent upon the polis in order to free him from dependence upon other citizens." This doctrine of sovereignty, the absolute supremacy of the state over its members, has led many to accuse Rousseau of opening the doors to despotism, collectivism, and totalitarianism. Others say that this is the opposite of Rousseau's intent, that the surrender of rights is only apparent, and that in the end individuals retain the rights that they appear to have given up. In effect, these Rousseau supporters say, the social contract is designed to secure or to restore to individuals in the state of civilization the equivalent of the rights they enjoyed in the state of nature. Rousseau was a passionate man who lived in passionate times, and he still stirs passion in those who write about him today.(Bowker Author Biography)