[Date Prev][Date Next] [Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]

Re: "Social Contract"



Mikhail Sobolev writes:
 > On Wed, Nov 06, 2002 at 11:57:51PM +0100, Josip Rodin wrote:
 > > On Fri, Jun 21, 2002 at 04:59:43PM +0400, Nikita Danilov wrote:
 > > > a little note, possibly of interest: standard Russian translation of
 > > > "Social Contract" (key word in http://www.debian.org/social_contract)
 > > > is "???????????? ???????" invariably from Rousseau paper that coined an
 > > > expression.
 > > 
 > > It looks like none of our Russian translators noticed this... here's a
 > > reminder/copy.
 > > 
 > > (Obschestvennyj dogovor sounds more Slavic than social'nyj kontrakt to me,
 > > too. :)
 > Yes, it does sound more Slavic. :)  However I would not just throw away
 > the previous translation.  Let us a bit of time for consideration. ;)
 > 
 > Nikita, if you could give a link or two as for where these terms --
 > Social Contract and "<Russian Version>" -- are somehow ... mmm ..
 > related.

OK. 

Generalities: 

Term "Social Contract" is English rendition of French "du contrat
social"---title of essay published by Jean-Jacques Rousseau is the
second half of eighteen century[1]. This opus, started with the famous
phrase "Man is born free", sought to prove a theory according to which
the state is an agent established by initially "free" people when
forming a society. Goal of this agent is to fulfill conditions of the
"social contract"---voluntary decision of members of society to limit
their "natural freedom".

In Russian tradition "du contrat social" has always been translated as
"Obschestvennyj dogovor" (KOI8-R: Общественный договор). I guess this is
mentioned in elementary school textbook on history. :-)

Google search results for Russian links about "Social contract": 

http://www.google.com/search?lr=lang_ru&cr=&q=%CE%E1%F9%E5%F1%F2%E2%E5%ED%ED%FB%E9+%E4%EE%E3%EE%E2%EE%F0+%D0%F3%F1%F1%EE&hl=ru&ie=windows-1251

 > 
 > --
 > Misha

Nikita.

Footnotes: 
[1] French, modern orthography: http://un2sg4.unige.ch/athena/rousseau/jjr_cont.html, 
    English translation: http://www.constitution.org/jjr/socon.htm. 
    Russian translation: http://libword.by.ru/Zarubeznaya/Prochaia/Russo_ZZ/Obshestvennyj_dogovor.htm



Reply to: