How did Rousseau believe people could exchange natural liberty for political liberty?
In his work The Social Contract, Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued that individuals can exchange their natural liberty for a superior form of freedomâpolitical or republican libertyâthrough the establishment of a genuine social contract.1
This process involves the total alienation of each individual's rights to the entire community. By doing so, people surrender natural rights, which are often of dubious value because their realization depends solely on an individual's own might, in exchange for civil rights that are legitimate and protected by the collective force of the state.1
Rousseau believed that true political liberty is found in obedience to a self-imposed law. Because the general will represents the collective interest of the citizens, obeying laws founded on this will is equivalent to obeying oneself as a member of the political community. Thus, by participating in the creation of laws in their capacity as sovereign, individuals gain a form of freedom that is both moral and secure.12