Locke and Rousseau: From Natural Freedom to The Social Contract
Yelubayev B. Olay C.
30 June 2025NKUA Applied Philosophy Research Laboratory
Conatus - Journal of Philosophy
2025#10Issue 1255 - 274 pp.
John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau are two eminent proponents of the contractual tradition, which asserts that political power is artificial, and its legitimacy stems from individual consent. The fundamental and common feature of all classical social contract theories is that the agreement concluded by all its participants is considered the basis of a true political body. Accordingly, only a political association based on the concept of a contract can create a form of government that binds naturally free people. The primary purpose of this work is to analyse and compare the contractual views of Locke and Rousseau. Thus, in the first chapter, we will explore Locke’s main contractual ideas, developed in his book Two Treatises of Government, emphasising the concepts of the law of nature and private property. In chapter two, we will examine Rousseau’s political ideas, particularly on human nature and the general will. Then, in the end, we will attempt to outline the differences and similarities between their views about the social contract.
Locke , private property , Rousseau , social contract , state of nature
Text of the article Перейти на текст статьи
ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan
ELTE Eötvös Loránd University
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026