Rousseau — The Social Contract: Comprehensive Notes

According to Rousseau's The Social Contract, the social contract is a covenant or a prior, binding agreement among individuals to form a political community. It requires individuals to alienate themselves and all their rights to the whole, or the general will, resulting in equal conditions for all members. Its significance lies in legitimizing rule through collective self-authorship, rather than external authority or force, and establishing a form of association that protects each member while allowing them to remain free by obeying only themselves within the framework of the general will. It addresses the central question of how individuals can unite yet obey only themselves and remain as free as before, creating a "metaphysical" common life that binds individuals through rational self-government. Rousseau's concept of the social contract remains a foundational text for debates on legitimacy, freedom, equality, and political obligation.