The Social Contract: Deep Review

Original academic guide to The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

• Academic Classics
• 33 min
• Ages 15–99
• 10 chapters

About this audiobook

Rousseau's explosive account of legitimate political authority, freedom, sovereignty, the general will, civic equality, and the problem of collective self-rule.

Why it's worth a listen

Make Rousseau legible without flattening him: why he wants citizens to obey only themselves, and why the general will can inspire democracy or terrify liberals.

Based on the book by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, published by Public domain classic

Chapters

1. Introduction: The Paradox of the Golden Cage
2. The Historical Crucible: Geneva, Paris, and the Enlightenment
3. The Fundamental Problem: How to Obey Only Oneself
4. The General Will: The Heart of the Contract
5. Sovereignty and the Citizen: The True Meaning of Self-Rule
6. The Lawgiver: The Mythic Founder and the Paradox of Education
7. The Machinery of Government: Distinguishing Sovereign and Prince
8. The Dark Side of Unity: Civil Religion and Coercive Freedom
9. How to Read Rousseau Without Getting Lost
10. Who Should Read This Book Today?