Modern Western Political Thought

“Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” with this now famous quotation Jean- Jacque Rousseau begins his work The Social Contract. The purpose of The Social Contract was to establish how people could enter into civil societies without sacrificing their individual freedom. Rousseau envisions a social contract that would bind people together. To analyze The Social Contract we must examine how Rousseau addresses the four problems of political philosophy order, freedom, justice, and history.

First the problem of order will be addressed. To determine how Rousseau handles the problem of order it must be decided whether the state Rousseau describes is natural or artificial. Rousseau believes that man is born into a state of nature. In this state of nature man has complete freedom. Rousseau defines this freedom as physical freedom, because man has the ability to whatever he physically pleases and is only guided by his impulses and instincts. By joining a civil society man gains the rationality to restrain his actions and preserves himself by removing himself from the state of nature, in which everything is determined by force. Since Rousseau believes man is born into a state of nature and subsequently forms a social contract to create a civil society that society or state created would be artificial.

In discussing the problem of order one must also look at the origin of the state. The origin of the state comes from people signing a social contract to form a civil society. Man feels a need to bind together in a civil society in order to preserve one’s self and one’s property. As discussed above in the state of nature man is physically free, but he is only governed by his own instincts and impulses. Man only gains the abil...

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...he whole and the general will reflects the individual wills of the citizens of the state. Overall, Rousseau believes a just state is a state in which everyone equal.

The final problem of political philosophy is history. Rousseau believes the history of a state is progressive and moves in a linear fashion. Rousseau believes change in government can and should occur. He believes the general will, or all the people of a state, should meet periodically to evaluate their government. At that time the government has ended and the general will should decide whether to continue the current government or make changes. Rousseau also believes that no state will last forever, every state will eventually deteriorate. This comes when the general will begins to act for the private will of individuals eventually this can lead to revolution and the state will ultimately dissolve.