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The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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The Social Contract

Man Was Born Free, and He Is Everywhere in Chains

By Jean-Jacques Rousseau

By Jean-Jacques Rousseau

By Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Translated by Maurice Cranston

By Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Translated by Maurice Cranston

Best Seller

Part of Penguin Great Ideas

Paperback $12.00

May 30, 2006 | ISBN 9780143037491

Paperback $11.00

Jun 30, 1968 | ISBN 9780140442014

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    The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
    Paperback $12.00
    May 30, 2006 | ISBN 9780143037491

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    Paperback (2)
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    • Paperback $12.00

      May 30, 2006 | ISBN 9780143037491

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Paperback $11.00

      Jun 30, 1968 | ISBN 9780140442014

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Buy the Paperback:

    About The Social Contract

    The perfect books for the true book lover, Penguin’s Great Ideas series features twelve more groundbreaking works by some of history’s most prodigious thinkers. Each volume is beautifully packaged with a unique type-driven design that highlights the bookmaker’s art. Offering great literature in great packages at great prices, this series is ideal for those readers who want to explore and savor the Great Ideas that have shaped our world.

    Rousseau’s explosive cry for human liberty helped to spark the French Revolution and has haunted our discussions of how we should rule one another ever since—seen as both a blueprint for political terror and as a fundamental statement of democracy.

     

    About The Social Contract

    “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.

    About Jean-Jacques Rousseau

    Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778) was the author of numerous political and philosophical texts as well as entries on music for Diderot’s Encyclopédie and the novels La nouvelle Héloïse and Émile. Rousseau was also a widely loved composer and philosopher. His philosophy had… More about Jean-Jacques Rousseau

    About Jean-Jacques Rousseau

    Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778) was the author of numerous political and philosophical texts as well as entries on music for Diderot’s Encyclopédie and the novels La nouvelle Héloïse and Émile. Rousseau was also a widely loved composer and philosopher. His philosophy had… More about Jean-Jacques Rousseau

    Product Details

    Category: Philosophy | History

    Paperback | $12.00
    Published by Penguin Books
    May 30, 2006 | 176 Pages | 4-3/8 x 7-1/8 | ISBN 9780143037491

    Category: Philosophy | Nonfiction Classics | History

    Paperback | $11.00
    Published by Penguin Classics
    Jun 30, 1968 | 192 Pages | ISBN 9780140442014
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    Table Of Contents

    The Social Contract Translator’s acknowledgments
    Introduction
    Foreword
    Book I
    Book II
    Book III
    Book IV

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