The Social Contract Lesson Plan

What is authority? Why is it important for the authority wielded by a sovereign to be legitimate?

Although most of the time it seems invisible, authority is actually one of the most important aspects of political life. Te concept of authority refers to the legitimate power of some thing or person over other people: without it, no law would be respected, nor would any leader be obeyed. Thus, in seeking to define the circumstances under which authority can be considered legitimate, Rousseau is seeking to understand the fundaments of political order.

What is the hypothetical state of nature which Rousseau invokes in The Social Contract? Why is it useful for his purposes...