Book I
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Book I is the opening section of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s political treatise *The Social Contract*, where he lays the philosophical groundwork for his theory of legitimate political authority and the social pact.
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Statements (40)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
book section
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part of philosophical treatise → |
| arguesThat |
force does not create right
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no man has natural authority over his fellow men → political authority must be founded on convention → slavery is illegitimate → the social contract can reconcile freedom with political obligation → |
| author |
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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| contains |
Rousseau’s famous formulation that man is born free and everywhere he is in chains
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| countryOfOrigin |
Kingdom of France
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| criticizes |
patriarchal theories of political power
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the idea that might makes right → theories that justify absolute monarchy → |
| definesConcept |
general will (in preliminary form)
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legitimate authority → social pact → |
| historicalContext |
18th-century Enlightenment political thought
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| influenced |
later democratic and republican theory
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modern discussions of political legitimacy → |
| introducesIdea |
citizens gain civil freedom in exchange for natural freedom
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each individual alienates himself totally to the whole community → the body politic is formed by the social pact → the sovereign is the collective body of citizens → |
| laysGroundworkFor |
Rousseau’s theory of legitimate political authority
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the concept of the social pact → |
| mainTheme |
critique of patriarchal and despotic power
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freedom and obedience → legitimacy of political authority → rejection of slavery as a basis of political authority → social contract → |
| openingSectionOf |
The Social Contract
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| originalPublicationOfWholeWork |
1762
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| partOf |
The Social Contract
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| philosophicalDiscipline |
political philosophy
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| philosophicalTradition |
social contract theory
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| purpose |
to establish the conditions under which political authority is legitimate
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to explain how individuals can remain free under a political order → |
| setsUpFor |
Book II (The Social Contract)
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| workLanguage |
French
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| workTitle |
Du contrat social, Livre I
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Referenced by (1)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
The Social Contract
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hasPart |