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The Social Contract
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The Social Contract, originally published as On the Social Contract; or, Principles of Political Right, is a 1762 French-language book by the Genevan philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The book theori
Title page of the first octavo edition
Title page of the first octavo edition
Title page of a pirated edition of the Social Contract, probably printed in Germany
Title page of a pirated edition of the Social Contract, probably printed in Germany
General will
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In political philosophy, the general will is the will of the people as a whole. The term was made famous by 18th-century Genevan philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
The Social Contract
…especially in France. The Social Contract argued against the idea that monarchs were divinely empowered to legislate. Rousseau asserts that only the general will of the people has the right to legislate, for only under the general will can the people be said to obey only themselves and hence be free. Although…
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, populariser of the idea of the general will
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, populariser of the idea of the general will