![]() ![]() For Rousseau, the state of nature was initially peaceful, with this harmony attributable among other things to the small size of the population, the abundance of nature and the absence of competition. The social contract purports to provide a proper alternative to the "state of nature". 2 Secondly, competition among men will stimulate the need for a social pact, so that each can preserve oneself and be protected by the "general will" enacted by the people. ![]() Rather, legitimate authority must find its rationale in so-called social pacts or contracts. A first principle to govern these relationships is that man has no natural authority over other human beings and sheer force exercised by one individual over another does not justify authority. The relationships between individuals, the state and government form the key components of Rousseau's "social contract". 1,2 This monumental work is part of the family of older, major writings on social contract theory by Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) and John Locke (1632-1704). World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland (email: Rousseau, born in Geneva in 1712, had an important influence on political philosophy in the 18th century and since, in particular through his book The social contract, published in 1762. Rousseau's "social contract": contracting ahead of its time? ![]()
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