Rousseau's Social Contract: Nature, Civilization, and Liberty

Rousseau's Philosophy: Nature, Civilization, and the Social Contract

The author begins by mentioning the main cause of man and society: one is leaving the state of nature. For Rousseau, this concept is based on three principles: the state of nature, the state of civilization, and the social contract, which provides a solution to the problems of the state of civilization.

The State of Nature

In the state of nature, man, whom Rousseau calls the "noble savage" or "wild man," was inherently good because the term maldad (evil) did not even exist. This is a pre-moral state because there was no established morality or social laws; it is the presocial state. However, man did know the feeling of piety, which is the feeling of disgust that separates him from other animals.

Both Hobbes and Rousseau agree that human beings are free in the state of nature, but Hobbes views this freedom as catastrophic, while Rousseau sees it as something beautiful that makes us happy.

In short, the state of nature is where:

• Men were happy and free.
• They lived in isolated families, independent.
• They were moved by feelings such as love, compassion, and mercy, alongside conservation instincts.

The Transition to Civilization and Inequality

To overcome the obstacles of the state of nature—which men could not deal with individually—they joined together. This partnership provoked rational progress in the arts, science, law, language, division of labor, and the development of private property. This led to social inequality, characteristic of civilization, where some individuals take advantage of others to meet their needs, resulting in the growth of wealth for some and the detriment of others.

This state then becomes modern society, a reign characterized by:

Consequences of Civilization

• Injustice
• Inequality
• Oppression
• Dependency

Rousseau's aim regarding this situation, where everyone is at war against everyone else, is to recover natural rights and restore social order. The author tries to restore a union between these two things in common.

The Social Contract

Rousseau establishes the social contract whereby human beings surrender their freedoms to the whole community, not to an individual will, as in the previous state. Here we find an important difference from Hobbes: Hobbes believed that humans in the state of nature are violent and selfish, requiring only one higher power for control, according to absolutism.

Rousseau rejects this contract because being subjected to an authority not based on a contract of force means losing freedom and justice.

Fundamental Concepts in the New State

Freedom and equality are converted into two fundamental concepts in this new political state.

Rousseau states that equality and freedom must be guaranteed for all, as the bedrock of this state is the resistance of forces united for a common good, as mentioned previously.

In summary, the social contract is the transition from individual freedom to civil liberty, where human beings are not governed by individual wills but by the general will, which creates laws that apply equally to all men.