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The Social Contract · Chapter
Epigraph explained
The chapter opens with an epigraph from Virgil's Aeneid XI, calling for the establishment of equal laws within a compact.
What happens
The chapter opens with an epigraph from Virgil's Aeneid XI, calling for the establishment of equal laws within a compact.
Themes in this chapter
The Social Contract
The call for 'equal laws' in a compact directly evokes the idea of a social contract as the foundation of a just society.
The Role of the Legislator
The epigraph's emphasis on establishing laws suggests the foundational role of a legislator in framing the terms of the social compact.
Key passages
“Foederis aequas Dicamus leges.”
Let us propose equal laws for a compact.
This epigraph from Virgil's Aeneid sets the stage for Rousseau's exploration of the social contract and the establishment of just laws.