The problem is to find a form of association... in which everyone, while uniting with everyone, can still obey themselves alone and remain as free than before. a convincing solution to the problem it poses? The first line of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s influential work “The Social Contract” (1762) is: “Man is born free, and he is everywhere in chains. Those who believe themselves to be masters of others are in fact greater slaves than themselves. These are not physical chains, but psychological ones, which cause all men to be constrained by the laws to which they are subject, and to be forced into a false freedom, whatever their class. This goes against Rousseau's theory of the general will which is at the heart of his philosophy. In his Social Contract, Rousseau describes the transition from a state of nature, where men are naturally free, to a state where they must renounce their naturalistic freedom. In this State, and by renouncing their natural rights, individuals communicate their rights to a State or a political body. Rousseau believes that by entering into this social contract, where individuals unite their power and freedom, they can then gain the civic freedom that allows them to remain free as they were before. In this essay, I will endeavor to provide arguments and examples to conclude whether Rousseau provides a viable solution to what he calls the “fundamental problem” posed in the title of the essay. First, each individual must surrender unconditionally to the general cause of the State. Second, in doing so, all individuals and their property are protected, to the fullest extent possible, by the republic or body politic. Finally, all individuals should then act freely and of their own free will. Rousseau thinks that... middle of paper ......ract 135, 138), but skims over this, preferring simply to say that it should be avoided as much as possible. But again, in a situation of appreciable magnitude, the validity of this argument is far from valid. Rousseau's contract was more optimistic than Hobbes and Locke's, but this was to be expected due to the chronology between the theories. Society had evolved somewhat and become less regimented. The problems mentioned make it difficult for me to think that Rousseau found a solution to his problem. I think his ideas are probably more relevant to modern times than when he conceived his social contract theory. It seems to me that he was a few centuries ahead of himself, a man before his time. Works cited Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. “The Social Contract”. Modern Political Thought, Second Edition. Ed. David Wooton. Indianapolis: Hackett Editions, 2008. 427-487.