Jean-Jacques Rousseau Name:
A Man of Many Talents
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1712. At age
30 he moved to Paris to become a musician and composer. However he is
better known for his writings on human behavior and government.
Rousseau believed that a government’s purpose is to protect liberty, or
freedom, and to help people get along. Rousseau believed that the best
form of government was a democracy. His writings influenced how people
think about government and how a democracy should work.
A Social Contract
In his book
The Social Contract,
written in 1762, Rousseau talks
about what makes an effective government. In order to have real
authority, government must be based on an agreement, or contract,
people make with society. People agree to give up some natural
freedoms in exchange for protection. The government then follows
the general will—those things that are in the best interest of
society as a whole. If people disagree about what’s best, the
government follows majority rule, or what more than half the
people want. What kind of government does this sound like?
Freedom for All
What does freedom mean to you? Rousseau talked about two different
types of freedom. Natural freedom happens when people live in a state
of nature. In a
state of nature
there are no rules or governments. People
are free to follow their instincts and selfish desires without considering
the needs of others. But in a state of nature, people are not secure.
Social freedom happens when people sacrifice some natural freedoms
so they can have the freedom that comes with security and protection.
To accomplish this, they establish rules and set up governments.
Two Types of Democracy
There are two main types of democracies. In a
representative democracy, citizens vote for a
small number of people to represent the public in
government. Only the representatives are directly
involved in the government. In a direct democracy,
all citizens are directly involved in making laws and
running the government. This was the kind of
participation Rousseau believed citizens should have,
so he was in favor of direct democracy.
Of the People, By the People, For the People
Rousseau’s work inspired many to think about the kind of government they
wanted. This included the Founding Fathers of the United States, who wrote
the United States Constitution. The Constitution created a democracy and
guaranteed citizens a voice in government. Rousseau’s ideas can also be seen
in one of Abraham Lincoln’s famous quotes, “a government of the people, by
the people, for the people.”
DIRECT DEMOCRACY REPRESENTATIVE
DEMOCRACY
Everyone meets to
discuss and create laws
A few people meet and
create laws for everyone
All citizens get a direct
say in every decision
Citizens hope representatives
will make good decisions
Difficult to do in a very
large society
More practical for very large
societies
Natural
Rights
General
Will
What is the relationship between
natural rights and the general will?
State of Nature
Security and
protection
Rousseau p.1
Influence Library
