Koncepcja władzy politycznej w teorii umowy społecznej Jeana Jacquesa Rouseau

Abstract

Jean Jacques Rousseau occupies a high position among thinkers whose production arouses deep controversies up to now—for some he appears as co-originator of social democracy and idea of people’s political sovereignty, for others — as radical collectivist and originator of contemporary totalitarianism. The reasons of continuous remaining of such diametrically differentiated estimations are very complex. Therefore, every attempt of overcoming those differences is rather doomed. However, one can try — by direct adducing — to complete the discussion carring on the subject with additional arguments at least partially exceeding mechanically repeated, perfunctory estimations consolidated by generally used handbooks on history of political thought. The expression ’ ’political power’ ’ — crucial for notional schedule of modem political science—was used b? J. J. Rousseau in his works sparingly, indicating more strongly other categories present in his description of political social system: social agreement form of government law, equality, ownership, sovereignty or general will. However, all his theory of social agreement based, first of all, on original interpretation of political power phenomenon — conclusions resulted from it expressed the author’s way of thinking about mechanisms of social development, principles of social structure and essence of state. The basic aim of considerations presented in the paper is to remind the most important assumptions of the conception with special regard to the problems connected with its modem interpretation.