The Social Contract & Discourses

"The Social Contract & Discourses" by Jean-Jacques Rousseau is a cornerstone of political thought from the 1700s that asks how governments gain the right to rule and how individuals relate to their government. The main idea revolves around a social contract, where a collective agreement forms a society guided by the common good. The narrative starts with a bold statement about people being born free yet living in chains, pointing to how society and politics can limit freedom. It questions governments that rule by force and looks at the difference between natural connections, like family, and societal ones, arguing that political groups should form from agreement and rules. This prepares a reader for a larger discussion about what freedom really means, what a government should do, and what rules make a society fair.