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The Social Contract

by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

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A foundational argument about political authority and collective sovereignty

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Paperback New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A foundational argument about political authority and collective sovereignty

Rousseau’s 1762 political treatise begins from a challenge to inherited authority: no person possesses a natural right to rule another. It develops the idea of a social contract among citizens as the basis of sovereign power, then examines how liberty, law, freedom, and justice might coexist within a state. The book’s central argument has remained contested, with its vision of political community interpreted both as a statement of democratic principles and as a possible route toward totalitarianism. This edition presents a compact entry point into a major work of political philosophy.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers studying political philosophy and the foundations of sovereignty
  • Those interested in theories of democracy, law, liberty, and justice
  • Readers seeking a classic text that has prompted enduring debate about state power

Themes

Social contractSovereigntyPolitical authorityLiberty and lawDemocracy and totalitarianism

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Book overview

"Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains"

These are the famous opening words of a treatise that has not ceased to stir vigorous debate since its first publication in 1762. Rejecting the view that anyone has a natural right to wield authority over others, Rousseau argues instead for a pact, or 'social contract', that should exist between all the citizens of a state and that should be the source of sovereign power. From this fundamental premise, he goes on to consider issues of liberty and law, freedom and justice, arriving at a view of society that has seemed to some a blueprint for totalitarianism, to others a declaration of democratic principles.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

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