The Social Contract Summary | Chapterly
The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau: A Complete Summary "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." Overview The Social Contract (1762) is one of the most influential political texts ever written. Its opening line is one of the most famous in philosophy. Rousseau asks: How can humans live in society while remaining free? His answer—the "general will" and popular sovereignty—helped inspire the French Revolution and shaped modern democratic theory. The Central Problem "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains. One man thinks himself the master of others, but remains more of a slave than they are." Rousseau observes that humans are born free but everywhere live under authority. How can this be legitimate? Unlike Hobbes, Rousseau doesn't think humans are naturally at war. Unlike Locke, he doesn't think private property naturally exists. So why do we need government? The State of Nature Rousseau's state of nature is fundamentally good—humans are naturally compassionate and peaceful: "Nothing is more gentle than man in his primitive state." Inequality and conflict arise from civilization, especially private property: "The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say 'This is mine' and...