Contrat social, temps et histoire Commentaire sur l'article de Gerhard Seel

Following on from Simone Zurbuchen’s observations, this commentary aims to highlight the dimension of time and movement that characterises the very concepts of contract and pact, as well as the central role that, for most contractualist authors, the history of the human race plays in the transition from the state of nature to civil society. From this point of view, the authors of modern contractualism seek to think political power in history, which implies not only a legitimating approach, but also a critical one. Consequently, the theory of the pact involves the emergence of an original democratic moment.