Which philosopher wrote The Social Contract and proposed that government is a contract between the governed and the rulers, with the general will representing the will of the people?

Which philosopher wrote The Social Contract and proposed that government is a contract between the governed and the rulers, with the general will representing the will of the people?

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

Answer: (C)

The main concept being tested is how legitimate political authority arises from a social contract in which laws reflect the general will of the people. Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote The Social Contract and argued that sovereignty rests with the people who collectively form the general will. The government serves as an instrument to enact those laws; when rulers or laws diverge from the general will, they lose legitimacy. The general will is aimed at the common good, not private interests, guiding the creation of laws that people freely consent to. This focus on popular sovereignty and the general will is what makes Rousseau the best fit. By contrast, Montesquieu emphasizes separation of powers, Locke centers on natural rights and government as a trust to protect them, and Voltaire advocates civil liberties—concepts related to political theory but not the specific notion of the general will that defines Rousseau.

The main concept being tested is how legitimate political authority arises from a social contract in which laws reflect the general will of the people. Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote The Social Contract and argued that sovereignty rests with the people who collectively form the general will. The government serves as an instrument to enact those laws; when rulers or laws diverge from the general will, they lose legitimacy. The general will is aimed at the common good, not private interests, guiding the creation of laws that people freely consent to. This focus on popular sovereignty and the general will is what makes Rousseau the best fit. By contrast, Montesquieu emphasizes separation of powers, Locke centers on natural rights and government as a trust to protect them, and Voltaire advocates civil liberties—concepts related to political theory but not the specific notion of the general will that defines Rousseau.