Social Contract

The Social Contract was written by Rousseau in 1762 in response to the political theory that citizens enter into an unwritten contract with each other to lift each other out of their primitive state and establish government for the general will and good of the people. Social Contract research papers disclose that Rousseau argued that only when citizens engage in what is the "common good" will there be hope for the good of the public to be carried out in government. To achieve this, Rousseau calls upon "substituting a partial and moral existence for the physical and independent existence nature has conferred on us all". Therefore, man is forced to act for the moral and social good of the collective self in order to maintain society.
In Rousseau's "The Social Contract," he introduced the idea of human rights, which were mainly rights individuals recognized among one another when they entered into a contract which would determine the government of the members joining in the contract. Rousseau presented a picture of self-government, which was markedly different from the authoritarian monarchies of most European governments which were legitimized by "divine right" or some similar concept. Rousseau called upon direct democratic participation as the only way to insure the public's interest is maintained in government. By amassing an exalted community, the public feels at one with ideals and freedoms.
In Rousseau's original society, man exists in isolation as an animal. He hunts to find food and clothes to keep himself alive. He sleeps in the open, or in trees and other naturally created homes. If he meets a female of the species, his natural instinct will take over, and the species will be maintained. However, he will not stay with that woman, since he has no instinct for that. In this environment, Rousseau claims, all men are equally free and that people will do better than others by utilizing their abilities, yet they will not be in competition.
Related Research Paper Topic Suggestions
Augustine and Free Will - Augustine and Free Will research papers examine the doctrine of Augustine and his life beliefs.
Beliefs Values and Morals Application - Beliefs, Values, and Morals Application Research Papers delve into an order placed on the philosophical and theoretical foundations of personal beliefs.
Discourse On The Origin of Inequality - Discourse on the Origin of Inequality research papers analyze Rousseau's famous text. Research papers on Rousseau's Discourse on the Origin of Inequality explicate the philosophical work.
Existentialism - Existentialism research papers discuss the existential movement that influenced much of the world in the 20th Century.
Existential Nihilism - Existential nihilism research papers discuss the core principles by Friedrich Nietzsche that maintains a disbelief in the significance of any one individual or the entire human race as a whole.
Fatalism - Fatalism research papers examine the philosophical idea that the individual is powerless in the universe.
Free Will - Free Will research papers discuss how free will is a religious notion that philosophers such as Saint Augustine have written extensively about.
Predestination - Predestination research papers examine the theological doctrine espoused by many Protestant denominations.
Rousseau - Rousseau research papers analyze the French philosopher and his theories in works such as The Social Contract and Discourse on Inequality. Paper Masters will teach you how to write a research paper on Rousseau.
The Confessions of Jeanjacques Rousseau - Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau research papers examine the autobiographical text that highly influenced the French Revolution.
The Illusion of Free Will - The Illusion of Free Will Research Papers examine an article written by Paul Holbach that explains free will of man as nothing more than a natural phenomena controlled by forces of nature.
Thomas Aquinas Philosophy - Thomas Aquinas' Philosophy essays examine Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy, which was one of the leading intellectual forces in European that still holds a central place in Roman Catholic dogma.