Rousseau

I thought this was somewhat of a difficult read, at the same time it was very interesting. I liked a lot of what Rousseau said in The Social Contract. Rousseau rejects the idea that political authority is found in nature. In chapter 2 he goes on to state that the only natural society is the family. The head of the state is the father and the children are the people. A ruler cant have love for his people like a father can for his children. A father does things for his children because he loves and cares for them. If a ruler cant love his people like a father can, it makes you wonder how much a ruler actually cares for his people and if hes doing things in the best interest of his people.

I also liked what Rousseau said in chapter 4 on slavery. I liked when he said "slavery is seen to be void because it cannot be justified, but also because it is nonsensical, because it has no meaning." It is so true slavery cant be justified. How can one think that they have the right to strip someone of their rights and treat them as a piece of property. When I first read this I thought Rousseau was talking about the kind of slavery in America, but what Rousseau is actually talking about is people under an absolute monarchy. Freedom and humanity are tied closely to our (the people) to deliberate and make choices. If a monarch has absolute power, we lose our freedom and humanity and become slaves.