Which thinker authored The Social Contract?

Which thinker authored The Social Contract?

• A. Voltaire
• B. Rousseau
• C. Locke
• D. Montaigne

Answer: (B)

Identifying the author of The Social Contract reveals how political authority ties to the consent of the governed and the general will. Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote The Social Contract, arguing that people collectively form a political community by entering into a contract in which obedience to laws expresses the general will and serves the common good. This idea centers on popular sovereignty—the notion that legitimate law arises from the people themselves rather than from a ruler—and on the belief that true freedom means living under laws one has helped shape. Context helps: Rousseau’s work is a foundational text of Enlightenment political theory, shaping debates about liberty, equality, and the legitimacy of government. In contrast, Voltaire is famed for critiques of intolerance and advocacy of civil liberties; Locke is known for natural rights and government by consent, but not for authoring The Social Contract; Montaigne is recognized for essays on human nature rather than political contract theory.

Identifying the author of The Social Contract reveals how political authority ties to the consent of the governed and the general will. Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote The Social Contract, arguing that people collectively form a political community by entering into a contract in which obedience to laws expresses the general will and serves the common good. This idea centers on popular sovereignty—the notion that legitimate law arises from the people themselves rather than from a ruler—and on the belief that true freedom means living under laws one has helped shape.

Context helps: Rousseau’s work is a foundational text of Enlightenment political theory, shaping debates about liberty, equality, and the legitimacy of government. In contrast, Voltaire is famed for critiques of intolerance and advocacy of civil liberties; Locke is known for natural rights and government by consent, but not for authoring The Social Contract; Montaigne is recognized for essays on human nature rather than political contract theory.