Contract | Jean Jacques Rousseau The Social

: This is the collective interest of all citizens, distinct from the mere sum of their individual desires. Rousseau argues that by submitting to the general will, an individual obeys only themselves and remains free.

: Scholars debate his work's legacy; some see it as a blueprint for totalitarianism (due to the absolute authority of the general will), while others view it as a primary source for modern democracy . Jean Jacques Rousseau The Social Contract

: Unlike Hobbes, who saw the state of nature as "nasty, brutish, and short," Rousseau viewed it as a primitive state of natural freedom that became corrupted by society and the invention of private property. Impact and Legacy : This is the collective interest of all