Abstract

In the first part of this essay, the Author provides an account of the reconstruction of Rousseau's manuscript according to his fragments on war. This reconstruction is particularly relevant for the general interpretation of Rousseau's political thought. On the one hand, the dating of the manuscript on Principles of the Law of War allows to place the first draft of The Social Contract in the years 1755-1756. On the other hand, the analysis of the problematic context of Rousseau's speculation on war and on the law of war provides support for that dating, and the base for pointing out the link between the principles of political law and the principles of the law of war, concerning both method and contents.