The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Book Analysis)
The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Book Analysis)
Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide
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This practical and insightful reading guide offers a complete summary and analysis of The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. It provides a thorough exploration of the book’s content and main themes, including the corruption of society and the importance of prioritising the public interest over individual interest. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.
This clear and detailed 27-page reading guide is structured as follows:
- Biography of Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- Presentation of The Social Contract
- Summary of The Social Contract
- Context
- The Enlightenment
- The political reflections of the Enlightement
- The political reflections of Rousseau
- Analysis of The Social Contract
- Rousseau’s project
- A logical construction
- The central themes
- The constant concern for the real
About The Social Contract
The Social Contract represents the culmination of Rousseau’s political thought. In particular, the author takes up his previous ideas that human nature is corrupt and civilization is the cause of inequality, and examines the conditions of freedom in civil society. He envisions a social contract, in which all individuals will agree to put the public interest above their individual interests. Although the book was not unanimously appreciated and faced censorship when it was first published in 1762, it was praised by revolutionaries, served as a model for a range of legal thinkers and inspired Marxist thought in the 19th and 20th centuries.
About Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan writer and philosopher, and was one of the key thinkers of the Enlightenment. In particular, his work paved the way for the French Revolution in 1789 by emphasising the importance of freedom and the need to act for the greater good. Besides The Social Contract, he is also known for books such as Emile, or On Education and his autobiographical works Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Reveries of a Solitary Walker.
Product details
ISBN | 9782806287922 |
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Publisher | Plurilingua Publishing |
Collection | BrightSummaries.com |
Format | |
Pages | 27 |
File size | 1.4 MB |