“ Were there a people of gods, their government would be democratic. So perfect a government is not for men. ”
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract (1762). copy citation
| Author | Jean-Jacques Rousseau |
|---|---|
| Source | The Social Contract |
| Topic | democracy government perfection |
| Date | 1762 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | Of the Social Contract, or Principles of Political Law, Book III |
| Note | Translated by George Douglas Howard Cole |
| Weblink | https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Social_Contract/Book_III |
Context
“Under such a constitution above all, the citizen should arm himself with strength and constancy, and say, every day of his life, what a virtuous Count Palatine[3] said in the Diet of Poland: Malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium.[ 4]
Were there a people of gods, their government would be democratic. So perfect a government is not for men.
5. Aristocracy[edit]
WE have here two quite distinct moral persons, the government and the Sovereign, and in consequence two general wills, one general in relation to all the citizens, the other only for the members of the administration.” source
Were there a people of gods, their government would be democratic. So perfect a government is not for men.
5. Aristocracy[edit]
WE have here two quite distinct moral persons, the government and the Sovereign, and in consequence two general wills, one general in relation to all the citizens, the other only for the members of the administration.” source
Meaning and analysis
