The Social Contract Lesson Plan

Consider Rousseau’s discussion of the office of dictator. In an extreme situation, what powers should be given to the leader of a country to handle a terrible threat?

There is somewhat of a recent precedent to this question. In the United States, in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, two national emergencies were declared which granted the executive branch increased powers to defend the country against international terrorism. As a result of this and other legislative actions, the President and his administration were given broad leeway to surveil the civilian populace, as well as to go to effectively war in Iraq and Afghanistan without...