PEACETOPIAN MILESTONES

A holistic movement for a better world
has been evolving throughout history...

1762 -
"The Social Contract"

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's monumental work, Of The Social Contract, Or Principles of Political Right (Du contrat social ou Principes du droit politique) built on ideas of political philosophers like John Locke to more clearly define the ideals of the Enlightenment; these ideals inspired the wave of reform and revolution that spread across Europe and the American colonies. In his work, Rousseau theorized about the best ways to set up a political community and the tests to determine whether a political power is legitimate. Like others of the Enlightenment, Rousseau begins with the assertion that everyone is born free, but in order to exist peacefully, we enter into a 'social contract', whereby each person gives up the same amount of rights and freedoms and takes on the same amount of responsibilities by abiding by a set of fair and just laws. These laws that the members of the society must obey, however, are only valid and just if they were agreed upon by those who must live by them. He asserted that the only valid form of government is a participatory democracy, in which all members of the society, including women, have a say in the way that the society is operated. Except in times of need (for example, defending the nation in time of war), a person should be allowed to leave the protection and responsibilities of the social contract, and return whenever they wish. Slavery is a direct violation of the social contract, because no person would give up their natural rights and freedoms to be enslaved. Rousseau pointed out the need for different types of governance based on the size of the community. The larger the population, the more difficult it is to keep order, so a larger and more powerful government is needed; but all governments must be subject to the will of the people.