Who is the author of the influential political work "The Social Contract"?

"The Social Contract," published in 1762, is authored by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. This work is pivotal in political philosophy and argues for the idea of the social contract, where individuals collectively agree to form a society and government, which in return must respect the general will of the people. Rousseau's ideas challenged existing notions of governance by emphasizing that legitimate political authority depends on the consent of the governed.

In contrast to Locke, who focused on natural rights and government by consent, Rousseau introduced the concept of the general will as central to a true democratic society. Thomas Hobbes, on the other hand, viewed the social contract as a means to escape a brutal state of nature, advocating for a strong central authority to maintain order. Voltaire, known for his advocacy of civil liberties and criticism of organized religion, did not write the influential social contract; his work focused more on individual rights and freedoms than on the framework for collective governance that Rousseau developed.