With a Foreword by Derek Matravers.

In "The Social Contract," Rousseau (1712-1778) argues for the preservation of individual freedom within the political society. An individual can only be free under the law, he says, voluntarily accepting this law as his own. Thus, freedom in society requires each of us to subordinate our desires to the interests of all, to the general will.

Some have seen this as the promise of a free and equal relationship between society and the individual, while others have viewed it as nothing less than a blueprint for totalitarianism. "The Social Contract" is not only one of the great overviews of political society but is also immutable in the study of the dark side of political systems.

• Pages: 160
• Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm