Routledge Philosophy GuideBook to Rousseau and the Social Contract / Edition 1

by Christopher Bertram

Overview

Rousseau's Social Contract is a benchmark in political philosophy and has influenced moral and political thought since its publication. Rousseau and the Social Contract introduces and assesses:

*Rousseau's life and the background of the Social Contract
*The ideas and arguments of the Social Contract
*Rousseau's continuing importance to politics and philosophy

Rousseau and the Social Contract will be essential reading for all students of philosophy and politics, and anyone coming to Rousseau for the first time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415201995
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/04/2003
Series:	Routledge Philosophy GuideBooks
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.81(h) x (d)

About the Author

Christopher Bertram is senior lecturer of philosophy at Bristol University and has written for many journals in the political philosophy area.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1. Rousseau the Man 2. Human Nature and Moral Psychology 3. Man is Born Free 4. False Theories of the Body Politic 5. The Social Pact and Property 6. Sovereignty and the General Will 7. The Lawgiver: Culture and Morality 8. Government and Sovereign 9. Civil Religion 10. The Social Contract in Retrospect Bibiography Index The Lawgiver: Culture and Morality

Editorial Reviews

'Bertram gives us an insightful account of Rousseau’s character, an exemplary and charitable commentary on the Social Contract, and a brief but lucid account of his influence on later thinkers... a book which we should read and for which we should give thanks.' - Tony Lynch, Australian Journal of Political Science

From the Publisher