Jean-Jacques Rousseau · Complete work
Book I, Chapter 1
Book I, Chapter 1 of 49. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal French
Je veux chercher si dans l’ordre civil il peut y avoir quelque regle d’administration légitime & sûre, en prenant les hommes tels qu’ils sont, & les loix telles qu’elles peuvent être: Je tâcherai d’allier toujours dans cette recherche ce que le droit permet avec ce que l’intérêt prescrit, afin que la justice & l’utilité ne se trouvent point divisées.
J’entre en matiere sans prouver l’importance de mon sujet. On me demandera si je suis prince ou législateur pour écrire sur la Politique? Je réponds que non, & que c’est pour cela que j’écris sur la Politique. Si j’étois prince ou législateur, je ne perdrois pas mon tems à dire ce qu’il faut faire; je le ferois, ou je me tairois.
Né citoyen d’un État libre, & membre du souverain, quelque foible influence que puisse avoir ma voix dans les affaires publiques, le droit d’y voter suffit pour m’imposer le devoir de m’en instruire. Heureux, toutes les fois que je médite sur les Gouvernemens, de trouver toujours dans mes recherches de nouvelles raisons d’aimer celui de mon pays!
CHAPITRE I.
Sujet de ce premier Livre.
L’homme est né libre, & par-tout il est dans les fers. Tel se croit le maître des autres, qui ne laisse pas d’être plus esclave qu’eux. Comment ce changement s’est-il fait? Je l’ignore. Qu’est-ce qui peut le rendre légitime? Je crois pouvoir résoudre cette question.
Si je ne considérois que la force, & l’effet qui en dérive, je dirois; tant qu’un Peuple est contraint d’obéir & qu’il obéït, il fait bien; sitôt qu’il peut secouer le joug & qu’il le secoüe, il fait encore mieux; car, recouvrant sa liberté par le même droit qui la lui a ravie, ou il est fondé à la reprendre, ou l’on ne l’étoit point à la lui ôter. Mais l’ordre social est un droit sacré, qui sert de base à tous les autres. Cependant ce droit ne vient point de la nature; il est donc fondé sur des conventions. Il s’agit de savoir quelles sont ces conventions. Avant d’en venir-là je dois établir ce que je viens d’avancer.
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the complete French text of the 1762 edition, all four books and the appendix for fidelity, the author’s force and cadence, and modern clarity.
I want to ask whether there can be, in the civil order, any rule of administration that is legitimate and secure, taking men as they are and laws as they can be. Throughout this inquiry I shall try to bring together what right permits and what interest prescribes, so that justice and utility do not stand divided.
I enter upon the matter without proving the importance of my subject. I shall be asked whether I am a prince or a legislator, that I should write on politics. I answer that I am neither, and that this is why I write on politics. Were I a prince or a legislator, I would not waste my time saying what ought to be done; I would do it, or I would keep silent.
Born a citizen of a free state and a member of the sovereign, however slight the influence my voice may have in public affairs, my right to vote in them is enough to impose on me the duty to understand them. Happy am I, whenever I reflect on governments, to find in my inquiries fresh reasons to love the government of my country!
Chapter I.
Subject of This First Book.
Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains. One man thinks himself the master of others, yet remains more a slave than they are. How did this change come about? I do not know. What can make it legitimate? I believe I can resolve that question.
If I considered only force and the effect that follows from it, I would say: so long as a people is compelled to obey and does obey, it does well; as soon as it can shake off the yoke and does so, it does better still. For in recovering its freedom by the same right that took it away, either it is justified in taking it back, or there was no justification for taking it away. But the social order is a sacred right, the foundation of all other rights. This right, however, does not come from nature; it is therefore founded on conventions. The question is what those conventions are. Before I come to that, I must establish what I have just asserted.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the complete French text of the 1762 edition, all four books and the appendix.
I want to find out whether there can be any legitimate and reliable rule of government in civil society. I will take people as they are and laws as they can be. Throughout this inquiry, I will try to bring together what right allows and what self-interest requires, so that justice and usefulness do not pull apart.
I will begin without proving that my subject matters. Someone will ask whether I am a prince or a legislator, since I write about politics. My answer is no, and that is precisely why I write about politics. If I were a prince or a legislator, I would not waste my time saying what should be done. I would do it, or I would keep quiet.
I was born a citizen of a free state and am a member of the sovereign. My voice may carry little weight in public affairs, but my right to vote in them is enough to make it my duty to learn about them. Whenever I reflect on governments, I am glad to find fresh reasons in my inquiries to love the government of my country.
Chapter I.
Subject of This First Book.
Human beings are born free, and everywhere they are in chains. A man may think himself the master of others, yet be more of a slave than they are. How did this change come about? I do not know. What can make it legitimate? I think I can answer that question.
If I considered only force and its effects, I would say this: as long as a people is forced to obey and does obey, it does well. As soon as it can throw off the yoke and does so, it does even better. For if it regains its freedom by the same right through which that freedom was taken away, either it is entitled to take it back or no one was entitled to take it away. But the social order is a sacred right on which all other rights rest. This right does not come from nature, however. It must therefore rest on agreements. The question is what those agreements are. Before I get to that, I must establish the point I have just made.