With the publication of "The Social Contract" in 1761, Jean-Jacques Rousseau took his place among the leading political philosophers of the Enlightenment. Like his contractarian predecessors (Thomas Hobbes and John Locke), Rousseau sought to ground his political theory in an understanding of human nature, which he believed to be basically good but corrupted by the conflicting interests within society. Here self-interest degenerated into a state of war from which humanity could only be extricated by the imposition of a contract.As a party to the compact, each individual would find his true interest served within the political expression of the community of man, or the "general will." What is the content of human nature and how does it compel mankind to come together to create a civil society? What form does this society take? What benefits does it offer its citizens, and what must each individual sacrifice to reap its rewards? How does sovereign power manifest itself, and what consequences follow for those who choose not to abide by the "general will"? Does Rousseau's political theory set forth a blueprint for democracy - one that results in equality, universal suffrage, and popular sovereignty - or is it a recipe for central state totalitarianism?These are just a few of the complex questions that will confront readers of "The Social Contract". Whatever their intent or ultimate result, Jean-Jacques Rousseau's views on the state and man's relationship to it have culminated in one of the most powerful and compelling pieces of political philosophy ever written.

盧梭，18世紀法國啓濛思想傢、哲學傢、教育傢、文學傢、音樂傢，法國大革命的思想先驅，啓濛運動最卓越的代錶人物之一，被譽為“現代民主政體之父”。盧梭堅持社會契約論，主張建立資産階級的“理性王國”；強調自由平等，反對壓迫；提齣“天賦人權”，反對專製、暴政。其代錶作有：《論人類不平等的起源和基礎》、 《社會契約論》、《愛彌兒》、《懺悔錄》等。