Discourse on Political Economy
by Jean-Jacques Rousseau · Discours sur l'économie politique
Assigned by 2 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1755
- Form
- Political theory
- Language
- French
- Length
- Short · 35 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Basic Political Writings, translated by Donald A. CressHackett, 2011The Cress volume includes this essay alongside the Discourses and the Social Contract.
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An article Rousseau wrote for volume five of Diderot's Encyclopédie in 1755, later printed separately. It distinguishes the government of a state from that of a family, introduces the concept of the general will as the rule of legitimate administration, and lays out three maxims for rulers, to follow the general will, to cultivate virtue through public education, and to provide for public needs by fair taxation. Much of the Social Contract is sketched here first.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Discourse on Political Economy are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
