'Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains' - these are the famous opening words of a treatise that has not ceased to stir vigorous debate since its first publication in 1762. Rejecting the view that anyone has a natural right to wield authority over others, Rousseau argues instead for a pact, or 'social contract', that should exist between all the citizens of a state and that should be the source of sovereign power. From this fundamental premise, he goes on to consider issues of liberty and law, freedom and justice, arriving at a view of society that has seemed to some a blueprint for totalitarianism, to others a declaration of democratic principles....

In his Confessions Jean-Jacques Rousseau tells the story of his life, from the formative experience of his humble childhood in Geneva, through the achievement of international fame as novelist and philosopher in Paris, to his wanderings as an exile, persecuted by governments and alienated from the world of modern civilization. In trying to explain who he was and how he came to be the object of others' admiration and abuse, Rousseau analyses with unique insight the relationship between an elusive but essential inner self and the variety of social identities he was led to adopt. The book vividly illustrates the mixture of moods and motives that underlie the writing of autobiography: defiance and vulnerability, self-exploration and denial, passion, puzzlement, and detachment. Above all, Confessions is Rousseau's search, through every resource of language, to convey what he despairs of putting into words: the personal quality of one's own existence....

In "The Social Contract" Rousseau stresses the connection between liberty and law, freedom and justice. Arguing that the ruler is the people's agent, not its master, he claimed that laws derived from the people's general will. Yet in preaching subservience to the impersonal state he came close to defining freedom as the recognition of necessity. Rousseau's powerful treatise expresses views on the rights, liberty and equality of all people. It remains a classic of political theory and one of the most influential works of abstract political thought in the Western tradition. In this age of twenty-four hour news and information saturation, it is more important than ever to not only question, but to also think critically about what we read every day. To that end, Gateway proudly introduces "The Skeptical Reader Series". This series will take a discerning look at the original texts of some of the most infamous, yet widely-taught, texts in modern academia. Kicking off the series will be "The Communist Manifesto", followed by "Das Kapital", "The State and Revolution", "Leviathan" and "The Social Contract". Each volume will be introduced by an essay from a prominent scholar who will offer a skeptical critique of the author's arguments and assertions. "The Skeptical Reader Series" is perfect for academia, as well as for anyone who relishes a politically incorrect point of view....

A key thematic sampling of Rousseau's published writings come together in this exciting anthology, some newly translated or translated into English for the first time by the editors. Featured writings include Narcissus; Queen Whimsical; The Two Sexes, and On Love (from Letter to d'Alembert); "On Women," "Sophie, or the Woman," On Love, and Mothers and Infants (from Emile); Women of Paris, and Domestic Life (from Julie); Letters to "Henriette"; The Death of Lucretia; Essay on the Important Events of Which Women Have Been the Secret Cause; The Levite of Ephraim; The Loves of Milord Edward Bomston; Pygmalion; Letters to Sara; The Naturalness of the Family (from the Second Discourse); "A Household on rue St. Denis"; and Emile and Sophie, or the Solitaries....

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