Major Works

• On the Social Contract

  - Recommended Translation: On the Social Contract, with Geneva Manuscript and Political Economy; ed. by Roger D. Masters, trans by Judith R. Masters (New York and Boston: St. Martin's Press, 1978).  
  The democratic and revolutionary principles put forward in Rousseau’s Social Contract have made it one of the essential texts of political philosophy since its publication in 1762. With this work, Rousseau’s sought to determine how civil society… More

Other Works

• Discourse on Political Economy

  - Recommended edition: "Discourse on Political Economy," Jean-Jacques Rousseau: The Basic Political Writings, trans. Donald A. Cress, Hackett Publishing Company, 1987. Fist published in 1755.
  Excerpt: Even if there were as close an analogy as many authors maintain between the State and the family, it would not follow that the rules of conduct proper for one of these societies would be also proper for the other. They differ too much in extent to be… More

Commentary

• On the Intention of Rousseau by Leo Strauss

  - Leo Strauss, “On the Intention of Rousseau,” Social Research 14 (1947): pp. 455-487
  Excerpt: The antiquarian controversy about the intention of Rousseau conceals a political controversy about the nature of democracy. Modern democracy might seem to stand or fall by the claim that “the method of democracy” and “the method of… More

• Popular Sovereignty but Representative Government: The Other Rousseau

  - Frank Marini, “Popular sovereignty but representative government: the other Rousseau”, Midwest Journal of Political Science, Vol. 11, No. 4, (1967), pp. 451-70
  Excerpt: In recent years a debate over the status of classical theories of democracy seems to be shaping up. If classical theories of democracy are in for increased discussion and debate, Rousseau’s name almost certainly will figure prominently in the… More

• The Evolution of Rousseau’s View of Representative Government

  - Richard Fralin, “The evolution of Rousseau’s view of representative government”, Political Theory, Vol. 6, No. 4, (1978), pp. 517-36.
  Excerpt: Rousseau’s intense opposition to representative  government  in the Contrat  social is one of  the  most  distinctive  features  of  his political  thought.  None of  the  leading  political  thinkers  among  his … More

• Rousseau and Representation

  - Richard Fralin, Rousseau and Representation (New York: Columbia University Press, 1978).
  From the publisher: In an illuminating and detailed study on Rousseau and Representation, Richard Fralin argues that Rousseau’s commitment to democratic principles and politics is not as strong as it appears on the surface of the Social Contract.  Fralin… More

• Men and Citizens: A Study of Rousseau’s Social Theory

  - Judith Shklar, Men and Citizens: A Study of Rousseau's Social Theory (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985).
  From the publisher: This book, first published in 1969, is widely regarded as one of the best studies of Rousseau’s thought in any language. In it, Professor Shklar examines Rousseau’s central concern: given that modern civilisation is intolerable… More

• Reflections on Rousseau: Autonomy and Democracy

  - Joshua Cohen, “Reflections on Rousseau: autonomy and democracy,” Philosophy and Public Affairs, Vol. 15, No. 3, (1986), pp. 275-97.
  Excerpt: In this essay I discuss several recent studies of Rousseau’s political philosophy. These studies cover a broad  array  of issues, ranging from Rousseau on the nature of the will to Rousseau on direct democracy,  and from  the intellectual… More

• Rousseau: The Turning Point

  - Allan Bloom, “Rousseau: The Turning Point”, in Confronting the Constitution: the challenge to Locke, Montesquieu, Jefferson, and theFederalists from utilitarianism, historicism, Marxism, Freudianism, pragmatism, existentialism..., edited by Allan Bloom and Steven Kautz. (Washington, DC: AEI Press Volume 496, 1990).
  From the publisher: The 17 essays in this volume examine first the precepts of the Founding Fathers and their mentors. Then the most significant preconstitutional ideas are outlined, together with analyses of how they harmonize with the Constitution and how… More

• The Force of Freedom: Rousseau on Forcing to be Free

  - Steven G. Affeldt, “The force of freedom: Rousseau on forcing to be free”, Political Theory, Vol. 27, No. 3 (Jun., 1999), pp. 299-333.
  Excerpt: In this article I develop an interpretation  of the point and nature  of this  engagement of the social compact. While my concerns are in the first  instance  exegetical, I am also more generally  concerned  to address,  through … More