The sovereign's interest, or the "general will," always promotes the common good. This act of association creates a collective body called the "sovereign." The sovereign is the supreme authority in the state, and has its own life and will. Rousseau's solution to the problem of legitimate authority is the "social contract," an agreement by which the people band together for their mutual preservation. First, there must be no relationships of particular dependence in the state, and second, by obeying the laws, an individual only obeys himself. He sets two conditions for a lawful polity and creates several clauses to ensure that they are carried out. Rousseau thus seeks the basis for a legitimate, political authority in which people must give up their natural liberty. Rousseau begins The Social Contract with the notable phrase "Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains." Because these chains are not found in the state of nature, they must be constructions of convention.
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