Question

Which of the following describes a major difference between the philosophies of John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau?

Answer 1

Answer:  B.John Locke favored a constitutional monarchy, while Jean-Jacques Rousseau favored a democratic republic.

Context/detail:

John Locke's Second Treatise on Civil Government (1690) is referred to often in our modern political studies.  Locke's First Treatise on Civil Government doesn't get much attention anymore, but it was also a very good book.  The purpose of his First Treatise was to debunk the idea of divine right monarchy -- the notion that hereditary dynasties of kings have received their authority and position by appointment from God.  That notion of government had to be taken out of the way philosophically before a new plan could be built (as was then done in the Second Treatise). The Second Treatise laid out plans for a more constitutional form of government, with legislatures serving as the main power of government and a monarch more of an executive officer for the government.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau pushed the concepts of enlightened politics even further than others of his era.  His most influential political writing was The Social Contract (1762).  He stated that the social contract is basically an agreement on the part of an entire society to be governed by the collective will of the people.  Self-interest is subdued and subjugated by this “general will.”  In Rousseau’s terms, liberty means being compelled to follow what is best for everyone; persons in the minority will be compelled to see things as the general will sees things.  Rousseau argued for a full participatory democracy, in which any elected leaders are merely charged with carrying out the will of the people:

• "Thus the people's deputies are not and could not be its representatives; they are merely its agents; and they cannot decide anything finally.  Any law which the people has not ratified in person is void; it is not law at all.  The English people believes itself to be free; it is gravely mistaken; it is free only during the election of Members of Parliament; as soon as the Members are elected, the people is enslaved; it is nothing.”