Unravelling Modern Democracy Through Rousseau’s Social Contract

Course description

Can democracy recognize both the group and the individual?

In 1762, few governments were democratic, so when Rousseau’s The Social Contract exploded on the scene, it became one of the most influential books ever written, having a major impact on the French and American Revolutions. While his ideas were foundational to modern democracy, his proposal that governments stifle individual voices for the sake of the collective remains deeply controversial.

From the height of European success, Rousseau fell from grace, his books burned and his mind turned to paranoia. Through Rousseau’s life and works, we can better understand today’s identity and group politics.