: 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.

: 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

: Sovereignty belongs to the whole population, not a monarch. Rousseau rejected the "divine right" of kings, asserting that legitimate authority rests solely on the consent of the governed.

: His ideas heavily inspired the French Revolution and the development of democratic and republican systems.