Social Contract
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Appears in 18 ideas
Politics/Ethics
Politics
- GovernmentWhat makes government legitimate, and what form should it take?
- DemocracyIs rule by the people the best regime, or the most dangerous?
- LibertyWhat does it mean to be free, and what are the conditions of genuine freedom?
- StateWhat is the state, and does it exist for the sake of its citizens or they for it?
- RevolutionWhen, if ever, is the violent overthrow of an established order justified?
- TyrannyWhat makes a government tyrannical, and what remedy, if any, do the oppressed possess?
- FamilyIs the family a natural institution, a voluntary contract, or the first school of either virtue or oppression?
- CitizenWho belongs to the political community, and what rights and duties does membership confer?
- LaborWhat is the value of work, and what does the laborer owe to society and society owe to the laborer?
- SlaveryIs slavery ever just, and what does the institution reveal about equality, freedom, and the limits of political community?
- ConstitutionWhat is a constitution, and how does fundamental law differ from the ordinary legislation of a government?
- MonarchyIs government by one man the best or the worst form of rule, and can monarchical power be reconciled with liberty?
- AristocracyShould the best rule, and how is aristocracy distinguished from oligarchy?