The Social Contract Author:Jean-Jacques Rousseau Written in 1792, The Social Contract has greatly influenced the course of modern political thought and intellectual history. Revolutionary in its own time and controversial to this day, this work is a permanent classic of political theory and a key source of democratic belief. Rousseau's concepts of "the general will" as a... more » mode of self-interest uniting for a common good, and the submission of the individual to government by contract inform the heart of democracy, and stand as its most contentious components today. Also included in this edition is Rousseau's Discourse on Political Economy, a key transitional work between his Discourse on Inequality and The Social Contract.« less