The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and relating the concepts to David's "Brutus" and Friedrich's "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog" Published in 1762, The Social Contract by Jean Jacques Rousseau

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The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and relating the concepts to David's "Brutus" and Friedrich's "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog"

Published in 1762, The Social Contract by Jean Jacques Rousseau was originally intended to be a segment of a much more extensive work on political institutions. This abandoned, the Contract remained, and Rousseau's writing has a distinct originality - he disagrees with other contract theorists like Hobbes and Grotius, who have talked of people being virtually enslaved. Rousseau's central argument is that by a principal of unity, and social responsibility to follow the 'general will', people will attain freedom.

Rousseau believed that collective person following their own law was freedom, and in this theory, an interesting paradox emerges;

"whoever refuses to obey the general will shall be compelled to do so by the whole of society, which means nothing more or less that that he will be forced to be free."

-Political Writings of Rousseau, ed by C.E Vaughan

(Cambridge 1915.)

Rousseau does not state that people are forced to commit free acts. He states people can be forced in relation to acts that can ultimately endanger the state of freedom. The example used would be a person experiencing drug addiction. To subsequently prevent someone from continuing this dangerous addiction would in essence be 'forcing' freedom. Rousseau is saying that a person's free acts can also lead to acts that would be considered not free, and destructive to the state of freedom.

Rousseau feels that in order for people to be free, they have a responsibility to follow the general will. The general will, Rousseau states, should be decided by all people. His idea abstractly holds the assumption that there will always be some situation and policies that serve the common good of society, and he quite clearly mistrusts the idea of any separate political collective, which could jeopardize the allegiance to the general will. However, Rousseau's central argument remains, that the conservation of equality is vital for the safe-guarding of freedom. Rousseau states that the general will must come from, and apply to all citizens. He feels that the instance that any sovereign assembly looks at any individual concerns, it no longer is sovereign and society will collapse.
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Rousseau feels that it is every citizen's social responsibility to have a notion of the general will at all times. As a provider of the general will, they have thus formed a law that they must obey. Also, he feels that at all times individuals must consider what would be for the benefit of all citizens as a collective. Rousseau, as mentioned previously feels that people have a duty to ensure that partial interest groups or parties do not emerge, but interestingly thinks that people have a duty to think on their own, and not be influenced by ...

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