Jean Jacques Rousseau’s On the Social Contract, Book I, Cht. 1-4
1. Rousseau stated he was concerned that “…justice and utility may in no case be divided” (par. 2).
2. What echoes of Plato do we find in paragraph 5?
3. For Rousseau what is “…the first model of political societies”? What shortcoming does he see in this analogy?
4. Rousseau has a fundamental disagreement with Hugo Grotius (1583-1645) regarding political power? What is it?
5. Between paragraph 17-20 Rousseau discusses the familiar concept of “might makes right.” What is his conclusion?
6. What are Rousseau’s argument against the three reasons (subsistence, civil tranquility, and gratuitously) a person may “alienate his liberty” to the government? How do we see such concepts played out in movies? Consider The Joker and Bane in the Dark Knight trilogy or Anakin Skywalker’s proclamation in Star Wars: Episode III, “I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.”
7. What is the nature and purpose of war according to Rousseau?
1. Rousseau stated he was concerned that “…justice and utility may in no case be divided” (par. 2).
2. What echoes of Plato do we find in paragraph 5?
3. For Rousseau what is “…the first model of political societies”? What shortcoming does he see in this analogy?
4. Rousseau has a fundamental disagreement with Hugo Grotius (1583-1645) regarding political power? What is it?
5. Between paragraph 17-20 Rousseau discusses the familiar concept of “might makes right.” What is his conclusion?
6. What are Rousseau’s argument against the three reasons (subsistence, civil tranquility, and gratuitously) a person may “alienate his liberty” to the government? How do we see such concepts played out in movies? Consider The Joker and Bane in the Dark Knight trilogy or Anakin Skywalker’s proclamation in Star Wars: Episode III, “I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire.”
7. What is the nature and purpose of war according to Rousseau?