From natural freedom to civil freedom in J.J. Rousseau

The question of freedom has always been at the center of philosophical concerns. It constitutes both the principle and the end of all human action. Giving meaning and value to human life freedom is posited as the first of all goods and a condition for the realization and self-realization of Being. It is a requirement on the one hand and an inalienable right on the other. Thus in The Social Contract Jean Jacques Rousseau looking for the foundation of a legitimate authority among men defines the conditions in which the man can submit to a political authority without losing anything of his freedom. For he to renounce one''s freedom is to renounce one''s quality as a man or rather the rights and duties of humanity. That is why it happens that one prefers death to an existence deprived of freedom. This thesis of the French philosopher shows the logical impossibility for man to be deprived of his freedom and his powers.