Rousseau's Theory Of The Social Contract example essay topic

1. Discovering What Matters Rousseau's idea for the social contract is constructed from the bottom up, each section serving as a building block helping to create a firm foundation for his theory. I like this analogy and will use it, even though I disagree with his very foundation and yet have to appreciate the theory of the social contract in its entirety. Rousseau believes that in a state of nature, men are born good, and it is society that corrupts that goodness. I completely disagree; it is possibly only society that exposes each others's in. But nonetheless, I am an American citizen, one small piece of a sovereign people that today continues to prove Rousseau's theory of the Social Contract.

Rousseau speaks for all of us (I hope) when he says, "As I was born a citizen of a free State, and a member of the Sovereign, I feel that, however feeble the influence my voice can have on public affairs, the right of voting on them makes it my duty to study them: and I am happy, when I reflect upon governments, to find my inquiries always furnish me with new reasons for loving that of my own country". 2. Learning from a Master Normally, no matter how informal a paper, and especially as an honor student, you would never admit to having experienced difficulty reading a work. It seems to be an unwritten rule that you should never say you don't like the work since your professor who assigned it obviously not only thinks it of major importance, but probably enjoys it as well.

I must admit, however, that reading Rousseau was as difficult and frustrating as watching the Royals choke today. The style was very different from Machiavelli; instead of varied sentence structure that flows from idea to example and so on, Rousseau takes on a bold, blunt tone from the beginning: "Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains". While I am confused by the use of the semicolon with a conjunction, the sentence is a huge, thought-provoking statement that immediately hooks the reader. At times the piece seems to talk in circles, but it serves as an illustration of the delicate nature and interconnectedness of the social contract itself.

I am completely surprised and curious about Rousseau's musical compositions. Being educated in multiple areas strengthens all the others, and since I am a music major, I have to believe that part of Rousseau's genius is due to and / or strengthened by his musical knowledge, talent, and passion. 3. Responding to a Crucial Passage. ".. from whatever aspect we regard the question, the right of slavery is null and void, not only as being illegitimate, but also because it is absurd and meaningless. The words slave and right contradict each other, and are mutually exclusive it will always be equally foolish for a man to say to a man or to a people; "I make with you a convention wholly at your expense and wholly to my advantage; I shall keep it as long as I like, and you will keep it as long as I like".

Section four finishes with this beautiful display of sarcasm after a long, intense line of reasoning against slavery. He must make one point before moving onto another with the first as the second's support, and so on and so forth. Rousseau contends that all are born free, one of many statements that not only impacted but found it's way into the documents that our country was founded upon. How is it that our founders missed, or dare I say, ignored this section on slavery?

4. Questioning to Generate Discussion 1) What kind of Republic was Geneva is Rousseau's time? How much of the "social contract" existed? 2) What would Machiavelli think of Rousseau's social contract?

Rousseau of Machiavelli? 3) What other philosophers shared Rousseau's ideas? How is our world different because of them? 5. Brainstorming for Your Own Writing Ideas 1) Musical and Literal Analysis of Rousseau's Opera; What is the opera about?

How does it tie in / relate /compare with Rousseau's political theories? 2) A comparison of the Republic of Geneva that Rousseau grew up in to our government today. 3) The impact of Romanticism on Rousseau's works.