The Social Contract

E7050
book political philosophy treatise work of philosophy

The Social Contract is a seminal 1762 political philosophy treatise by Jean-Jacques Rousseau that argues legitimate government is based on a collective agreement formed by the general will of the people.

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Observed surface forms (6)

Surface form Occurrences
Book II (The Social Contract) 3
Du contrat social, ou Principes du droit politique 2
Book IV (The Social Contract) 1

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf book ⓘ
political philosophy treatise ⓘ
work of philosophy ⓘ
author Jean-Jacques Rousseau ⓘ
centralClaim laws are legitimate only when expressing the general will ⓘ
legitimate political authority arises from a social contract among citizens ⓘ
sovereignty is inalienable and indivisible ⓘ
centralConcept general will ⓘ
social contract ⓘ
sovereignty of the people ⓘ
countryOfOrigin Kingdom of France ⓘ
genre political philosophy ⓘ
political theory ⓘ
hasPart Book I ⓘ
Book II ⓘ
Book III ⓘ
Book IV ⓘ
hasTheme civic virtue ⓘ
freedom and obedience to law ⓘ
relationship between individual and state ⓘ
historicalPeriod Age of Enlightenment ⓘ
influenced French Revolution ⓘ
Immanuel Kant ⓘ
John Rawls ⓘ
democratic theory ⓘ
liberal political thought ⓘ
modern republicanism ⓘ
influencedBy Enlightenment philosophy ⓘ
surface form: Enlightenment

classical republicanism ⓘ
natural law theory ⓘ
mainSubject general will ⓘ
political authority ⓘ
political legitimacy ⓘ
popular sovereignty ⓘ
social contract theory ⓘ
openingLine Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains. ⓘ
opposes absolute monarchy ⓘ
divine right of kings ⓘ
originalLanguage French ⓘ
originalTitle The Social Contract self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: Du contrat social, ou Principes du droit politique
philosophicalTradition Enlightenment philosophy ⓘ
contractarianism ⓘ
placeOfFirstPublication Amsterdam ⓘ
publicationYear 1762 ⓘ
publisherAtFirstEdition Marc-Michel Rey ⓘ
relatedWork Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men ⓘ
supports popular sovereignty ⓘ
republican government ⓘ

Referenced by (22)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Book IV → concludingSectionOf → The Social Contract ⓘ
subject surface form: Book IV (The Social Contract)
Book III → describedInWork → The Social Contract ⓘ
subject surface form: Book III (The Social Contract)
this entity surface form: Du contrat social, ou Principes du droit politique
Book III → followedBy → The Social Contract ⓘ
subject surface form: Book III (The Social Contract)
this entity surface form: Book IV (The Social Contract)
Book III → follows → The Social Contract ⓘ
subject surface form: Book III (The Social Contract)
this entity surface form: Book II (The Social Contract)
French Enlightenment → hasWork → The Social Contract ⓘ
Age of Enlightenment → majorWork → The Social Contract ⓘ
Marc-Michel Rey → notablePublication → The Social Contract ⓘ
this entity surface form: Du contrat social (by Jean-Jacques Rousseau)
Jean-Jacques Rousseau → notableWork → The Social Contract ⓘ
Book I → openingSectionOf → The Social Contract ⓘ
subject surface form: Book I (The Social Contract)
The Social Contract → originalTitle → The Social Contract self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: Du contrat social, ou Principes du droit politique
Book I → partOf → The Social Contract ⓘ
subject surface form: Book I (The Social Contract)
Book III → partOf → The Social Contract ⓘ
subject surface form: Book III (The Social Contract)
Book IV → partOf → The Social Contract ⓘ
subject surface form: Book IV (The Social Contract)
Book III → partOfSeries → The Social Contract ⓘ
subject surface form: Book III (The Social Contract)
this entity surface form: Books I–IV of The Social Contract
Book III → precededBy → The Social Contract ⓘ
subject surface form: Book III (The Social Contract)
this entity surface form: Book II (The Social Contract)
Discourse on the Arts and Sciences → relatedWork → The Social Contract ⓘ
Emile, or On Education → relatedWork → The Social Contract ⓘ
Confessions → relatedWorkByAuthor → The Social Contract ⓘ
Book I → setsUpFor → The Social Contract ⓘ
subject surface form: Book I (The Social Contract)
this entity surface form: Book II (The Social Contract)
Nakae Chōmin → translatedWork → The Social Contract ⓘ
Book I → workTitle → The Social Contract ⓘ
subject surface form: Book I (The Social Contract)
this entity surface form: Du contrat social, Livre I