Jean Jacques Rousseau and Rousseau Social Contract- Political Science for Css

Jean Jacques Rousseau 

 Rousseau is known as a “Thinker of paradoxes”. His ideas inspired the French Revolution. He was a critique of “Enlightenment” His philosophy was totally different from the ideas of Hobbs & Locke.

• He gave the concept of “popular sovereignty”.
•  He was against “Representative Democracy”. 
• He was the supporter of “Direct Democracy”. 
• He was an inspiration for Liberals as well as socialist, Democrats and Totalitarians.

1.  State of Nature

• Noble Savage. 
•  Philosophical history of the evolution of Human Society. 

     2. Social Contract 

• General will
• Popular sovereignty. 

      3.  Meaning Of Liberty

• Two concepts of Freedom.

    Rousseau: Life and Time:- 

• Born to a poor family in Switzerland in 1712. Died in 1778. 
•  Fled from Geneva at the age of 16. 
•  No fixed place and job for the remaining 16 years. \
•  He moved to France in 1744. 
• In 1750, writes his first Philosophic work for an essay competition. The “Discourse on the Art and Science.”
•  This prize-winning essay brought Rousseau to fame. 
•  In 1755 he publishes his second essay. The “Discourse on the Origin of Inequality”

Rousseau

1. The second Discourse  
          State of Nature
          Evolution of Society

2. The Social Contract 
            General will
            Popular Sovereignty

Four Steps of Philosophy:-

1. State of nature
2. State of War
3. Social War
4. Governments

                                              Rousseau’s State of Nature:-

 Neither conflict nor cooperation.                                             State of Bliss                                              Neither Virtue Nor Voice                                                         Isolated                                                      Neither Scarcity Nor Plenty                                                      Timid

  Neither happiness nor unhappiness                                           Peaceful                                                                                                                                                     Mute           

Man in the state of nature has two qualities which separates him from Animals:-

•  Freedom:

                  Ability to decide for oneself.

•  Pity or compassion

                   Ability to feel pain for the near ones.

 When man becomes civilized these qualities get corrupted.
 Arrival of private marks the beginning of society.

                                                    Property

“The first person who having enclosed a piece of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple enough to believe him was the true founder of society.”

1. Beginning of society

• Origin of inequality
• Cause of all Miseries  

      2.  Desire for Property

• Breeds Inequality
• Dependence

                                               From the State of Nature to the State of War:-

1. Property

• Inequality> Dependence> Desire to be Recognized By Others 

      2. Natural Feeling of compassion is replaced by every and competitions 

• State of War

Ending the State of War:-

• Rich and property owing class convince everyone else to form a government. 
•  To protect their life, people agree on social content. 
• But this contract is made by the rich and powerful for their own interest. 
•  The problem of inequality & dependence remains irritate. 

Social Contract General will:

General will” Of the community is decided through the Social Contract. This implies that the will is not an Individual, not a third party, nor an Agency. 

• People decide to the General will.
• People give up their rights and freedom to the community as a whole.
• Following General will is like following oneself.
• So people are as before. 

Rousseau’s Concept Governments 

• Rousseau makes his “General will” the sovereign. 
• Laws are made by the people together based on General will. 
•  Then Governments are appointed as an Agency to enforce those Laws. 
•  For Rousseau, Governments have only executive and judiciary functions. 
•  Governments are an agency appointed to enforce the general will. 
• Governments cannot make Laws. 
•  In such a society people follow the laws make by themselves.so obey no one but themselves. Hence are free & equal.