Rousseau's "The Social Contract"

the social order is a sacred right that does not come from ______but from_______. What does this statement mean?

It does not come from nature, but from agreements. it uses agreements to retain some good aspects of nature but ultimately leaves man's natural liberty behind

what/who is the sovereign?

a community formed by the social contract it will act in the best interest of the subjects bc it IS the subjects voting for the general will

what is the difference between an individual's particular will and the citizen's general will?

an individual's will is just what they personally want. when voting for the general will you are voting for what you think is best for the collective

what is civil religion and what role should it play in the civil state?

as long as it doesn't disturb the public interest, people can worship whatever/whoever they want. HOWEVER, everyone must pledge allegiance to a civil religion, which agrees on the basic precepts: - the existence of a God - the belief in an afterlife - justice for all - the sanctity of the social contract and law - the prohibition of intolerance (which should prevent friction between religions)

how does the passage from the state of nature to the civil state change humans?

changes us from stupid and unimaginable creatures to an intelligent being. animal --> man

how does Rousseau define the different division of government

democracy = when all or most citizens are magistrates aristocracy = when fewer than have the citizens are magistrates monarchy = when a small handful of people are magistrates

what is the general will? is it fallible? how does it differ from the will of all?

general will = collective will of citizens but considers only common interest (what is thought to be best for everyone) the will of all = the collective will but as a sum of particular wills (each person consider's one own bias when voting)

What is "absolutely the best government" according to Rousseau?

he prefers aristocracy --specifically elective aristocracy--over natural and hereditary aristocray and especially over democracy and monarchy. in an elective aristocracy, those with power are those best to govern. in a democracy and monarchy people confuse corporate will with general (democracy) and particular (monarchy) will

what do humans lose by entering the social contract? what do they gain?

lose natural liberties gain: - civil liberty/autonomy - moral liberty - property protection

is the institution of government a social contract?

no, it is the act of a sovereignty

what leads humans to leave the state of nature?

obstacles to man's survival in the state of nature overpower each individual's resources for maintaining himself. Thus, we must combine forces.

how can people check the usupations of government?

periodic assemblies

what is sovereignty? can it be alienated or divided?

sovereignty is the power to make laws under the social contract. it focuses on common good and values equality it is inalienable (sovereign cannot be given or taken away) and indivisible (the sovereign is the only body allowed to create laws)

what is one law that must be approved unanimously

the social contract any other acts are put to a majority vote

what is the social contract? To what problem does the social contract provide the solution and how?

the social contract is how people can bind themselves to one another. each individual must surrender himself unconditionally to the community as a whole.

what occurs if there is a violation of the social contract?

they will be "forced to be free" because it's what they should want anyway.

what are the two causes of every free action? what is the legislative power? what is the government?

will and strength are the two causes of every free action the will of the body politic are laws (legislative = sovereign) the strength to enact these laws are the government (executive/judicial)