A concept from his Second Treatise of Government (1689), where he describes a pre-political society where people live freely, equally, and governed by natural law. However, due to the lack of an impartial authority to resolve disputes, people form governments through a social contract to protect their rights to life, liberty, and property.
Describes the State of Nature as a chaotic and violent condition where life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” To escape this anarchy, people willingly surrender some of their freedoms to an absolute sovereign through a social contract, ensuring order, security, and a stable society.
DISCOURSE ON THE ORIGIN OF INEQUALITY by Jean Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Discourse on the Origin of Inequality (1755) argues that humans were once free and equal in a pure state of nature, but the rise of private property led to social inequality, competition, and corruption. He critiques civilization for creating artificial hierarchies and oppressing natural human freedom.