the social contract by jean jacques rousseau

Each of these paradigmatic variances claims legitimacy on law and rights. The COVID-19 Pandemic presented with a new question: which among the two variants of rights (individual or state) owns supremacy? While the state's right advocates an express non-consultative, unconventional action to quell the pandemic, individual rights advocate a consultative, constitutional, flexible and intentional consideration of individual convenience regardless of the rampaging effects of the pandemic. Such existence epitomises a relatively peaceful and harmonious relationship between, first, man and his fellow man, and second, men and the state. John Locke, Thomas Hobbes and Rousseau just like other ancient and medieval political thinkers hypothesised the collective existence of man under the umbrella called state. Key words: The State, social contract, theory, Jean Jacques Rousseau.ĬOVID-19 Pandemic put forward a new regime of paradigmatic contention as to the supremacy of state versus individual rights in a social contractual existence.

There should be willingness of the leaders, who are involved in this kind of contract with citizens, to ensure adequate provision of the basic needs and security for the citizens.

Incidentally, Rousseau’s ideas have been found relevant such that this paper recommends for its application to governance or administration of modern states. Rousseau argues that property had to be controlled by the General Will which was the universal law that regained man’s freedom and liberty in the civil society. He considered property as the root cause of moral corruption and injustice which made the individual to loose his freedom. Rousseau’s state of nature initially guaranteed freedom and good life for the individuals until the institution of private property ushered injustices that called for an organized or civil society mainly to protect lives and property.

It is found that the social contract theorists traced the origin of the state to a social contract by individuals after an experience from the state of nature. This paper evaluates the social contract theory from the view point of Jean Jacques Rousseau and applies the relevance to contemporary society.

The social contract by jean jacques rousseau