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Analyzing Jean-Jacques Rousseau's 'Voluntary'

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CHECKED BY SIR CHRISTIAN.
Leila Diane Mendoza
HMS11

On the Social Contract (1762)
Jean-Jacques Rousseau

“Man is born free, and everywhere he in chains.” It is accurate but debatable. Man is born free but become in chains the moment someone of the “upper hand” (specifically those who introduces themselves as one) says, if not, does otherwise. We do not initially grasp the concept of one’s set of rules and regulations until someone says so. Until someone opposes it and proclaim that it does not follow to what has already been laid out. It’s as if Rousseau is saying that “one’s freedom is another one’s slavery” which could be true but won’t apply to all.

The part where Rousseau had used family as his first …show more content…

Starting from what Grotius had said and Rosseau pointed out, “it is doubtful whether human race belongs to a hundred men or whether these hundred men belongs to the human race”, which the former was said to be leaning on what he had mentioned first, is totally irrelevant. These hundred men do belong to the human race because they came from the latter, in a way that they are still free. They could go and make sets of associations, but they are still considered as part of it. These hundred men could rule over the groups they have formed and will still belong to the human race. Hobbes’ point says, “the human race is divided into herds of cattle, each one having its own leader who guards it in order to devour it.” I believe that the human race is divided solely because of the several societies created by these hundred men, but to be divided as well internally? I don’t think so. It depends on how the elected leader acts on their role; whether they use their power to separate the people or to unite them. A leader doesn’t gain the power to lead for them to do as they wish with the people, a leader gains the power to lead in order for their society to prosper. One is no longer a leader to me the moment they abuse what they have. A leader leads and listens to the voices of their

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