On the Social Contract

By: Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Narrated by: Erik Sandval

"Man was born free, but everywhere he is in chains." Thus begins Jean-Jacques Rousseau's influential 1762 work, On the Social Contract, a milestone of political science, and essential reading for students of history, philosophy, and social science. A progressive work, it inspired world-wide political reforms, most notably the American and French Revolutions, because it argued that monarchs were not divinely empowered to legislate. Rousseau asserts that only the people, in the form of the sovereign, have that all powerful right.

On the Social Contract's appeal and influence has been wide-ranging and continuous. It has been called an encomium to democracy and, at the same time, a blueprint for totalitarianism. Individualists, collectivists, anarchists, and socialists have all taken courage from Rousseau's controversial masterpiece.

Public Domain (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Old and Tired

He has a few good points, but quite a bit of unsubstantiated and irrational claims.

Thank you sir!

Sounds naive in 21st century, but if you factor in when it was written! It's a monumental work form the first letter to the end.

A hard listen but worthwhile.

A bit of a challenge, but overall a good listen for the time alloted. I particularly appreciate the vast connections to the subject in relation to historic Greece and Rome. surprisingly relevant to today when needed to understand the slight given by government on a regular basis and how it falls into its own pitfalls.

A solid foundation political science

It's easy to see why the founding fathers or inspired by this book. It provides a solid foundation on the rights and responsibilities of the citizens of a state.

A classic

What did you love best about On the Social Contract?

Interesting to understand the philosophy.

Did Erik Sandval do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

A pretty dry read on the narrators part but clearly understood.

great book

the book was insightful and answers many questions swirling in my mind
yet the narrator was quite boring

Neat alternative to reading

The audio book allowed me to get through The Social Contract. I zoned out while reading because the content is good but dry, so listening happily took it off my list of works to get through.

Skip. Read Hobbes and Locke instead.

This guy is supposed to be one of the main three social contract theorists alongside Locke and Hobbes. But, now I understand why nobody can seem to explain his viewpoints in online lectures. They’re complete nonsense. Circular logic the whole way through.

His idea that everybody should belong to everybody else was played out to it’s fullest in a Brave New World by Alexander Huxley. What a horrible idea. Feels like another bedrock of socialism.

One good line, “man is born free and yet everywhere he is in chains” Amen to that brother.

*caveat I did not read the whole book. Maybe like 5 chapters? That was enough for me to understand the thesis, which is pure bullshit. Go read Hobbes and then Locke. Much better source material.

Practically unlistenable performance

Even the copyright message was narrated with more expressiveness than the rest of the book.

Informative but boring

I feel this book would’ve been more enjoyable with someone else reading. This voice was VERY monotone and boring.