The Social Contract

The Social Contract is a political piece of writing that serves as a pylon for the democracies of today, as it theorizes the elements of a free state where people agree to coexist with each other under the rules of a common body that represents the general will.

Rousseau opens his book by criticizing the Europe of his day. He claims that people did not choose where to be born and if they wish to live under the rules and laws of their time and their states. Back then, states were absolute monarchies, and they held the power in their hands.

Nowadays, we can see how although the legal framework of these states has changed, their citizens still aren’t completely free. Our public lives are still regulated by social and legal norms that are meant to keep us civilized and living in harmony. And more often than not, they are designed to favor the elite rich of our society.

So when is it worth it to give up on some of your liberties and accept living under the imposed law? Expecting something in return is only natural. So we receive lawful order and the protection of a state. Throughout history, leaders gained their power just like a parent over a child, like a law of nature, argued Rousseau.

However, he rejected this presumption and proceeded to think about how leaders had their powers simply because they were the most powerful in their societies. Again, he rejected this hypothesis. Finally, he realized that for a state to have legitimacy and power, the citizens must submit to it freely. Therefore, they engage into a social contract.

Rousseau insists on the idea that the sovereign, or the monarchs, should exercise their authority as an expression of the general will of the people. This is where the idea of the social contract originated from. Moreover, the people should be sovereign over the monarchs, and not the opposite. In a legitimate state, the authority is there to serve the people, because the people name their representatives. Ideally, the people would have to agree with the laws imposed by their elected representatives, as they are there to serve their best interests. A legitimate state is governed by laws that benefit everybody by preserving their rights, freedoms, and their security as civilians. We are governed by such laws today and we count on them for our safety in society. By passing them, we as a community are enforcing the collective good. For Rousseau, any state that applies these principles and represents its citizens by enforcing the general will is legitimate. Therefore not only republics but also monarchies can achieve this state. However, monarchies usually have the power,…