The Social Contract of Men

1. I have revised the essay at least once 2. I have proofread the essay at least twice for grammar and punctuation. 3. I have spell-checked the essay. 4. I have asked at least one other person to proofread the essay. 5. If I had more time to revise this paper I would have done this before finals week and included more examples.

Christopher Davius

Throughout human history, there have been many different thoughts and ideas that have changed throughout time. Society has changed dramatically from era to era, but human nature has not. A recurring theme that could be noted in both Montaignes essay, On Fear and in Rousseaus political writing of The Social Contract is how society governs ones actions. In Montaignes essay, fear is described as being a dangerous human emotion that causes men to be weak when a situation calls for bravery. Jean-Jacques Rousseau would argue that the social contract of society should take priority over individual desires. In the battlefields of history, men have repeatedly put themselves in harms way many times in order to serve their people. When men go to war, they are demanded to show bravery in the face of danger and are expected to put their fear aside in order to serve and protect their society at all costs. In Montaignes essay, fear would be described as a dangerous but natural emotion of humans that would manifest itself in the hearts of men in the battlefield. Soldiers are expected to be brave in order to defend those who are weak; they are supposed to put their country before themselves. The men who put themselves in the military embody this selflessness and they are the people on the front lines who protect the innocent. This idea of putting your life on the line to protect others bears resemblance to ideas brought up by Rousseau in The Social Contract. The social contract of soldiers is important for maintaining the integrity of the military; these men need to be brave in order to be effective.

Rousseau would state that man is born free, and he is everywhere in chains to describe how people in our society are expected to behave throughout their lives. This quote means that all people are born without rules or morals until they grow up and must contribute to society as citizens of the state. Soldiers live by the social contract also, but they are bound by a stricter set of rules because of their role. There is always a need for soldiers as countries constantly go to war with each other because of conflicting interests. These men represent some of the most important and respected individuals of society as they are expected to be fearless. On the battlefield fear is not absent in the minds of soldiers, whether