Social Contract Theory (English-Chinese Parallel Translation Collection Edition)

Author: Jean-Jacques Rousseau (France)
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Publishing Date: Not available
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Chapter 2: Early Society
Among all forms of social organization, the earliest society, the only natural society, is the family. Children are naturally dependent on their fathers only because their survival depends on them. Once this need ceases to exist, their natural contract automatically dissolves. Children gain freedom and no longer obey their fathers, while their fathers are no longer responsible for them. Both sides equally achieve independence. If they still depend on each other, it is no longer in the natural state but rather their own choice that unites them. In this state, the family is entirely maintained by the contract between the two parties. This shared freedom is a result of human nature. The law of humans is to care for their own survival, and the only thing that needs to be taken care of is humans themselves. When a person reaches the age of reason, they can judge how to protect themselves best, and thus become the master of themselves. Therefore, we can regard the family as the original model of the political society. The head of the state is in the image of a father, and the people are in the image of children. All people are born free and equal, and only when there is a benefit do they voluntarily give up their freedom. The only difference is this: in the family, a father loves his children and takes good care of them, whereas the ruler of the state lacks such feelings toward the people, and the joy of issuing commands replaces love.
Glaucon denies that all governments in the world are established for the benefit of the ruled. He cites the example of slavery. In his reasoning, he adopts a unique method, always deducing facts to correct public perception. We might think of more logical methods, but only his viewpoint seems to favor tyrants greatly. According to Glaucon's view, it is questionable whether all of humanity belongs to a hundred leaders or whether these hundred leaders belong to all of humanity. However, in his book, he seems to lean more toward the former view, which is also Hobbes' view. These great thinkers believed that humans are like herds of cattle, and each herd has a master; the master tends to the herd only to eat each cow one by one.
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