Concept of Freedom and Its Transformations in Jean-Jacques Rousseau: An Analytical Study

Abstract

This study examines the concept of freedom and its transformations in the thought of Jean-Jacques Rousseau by analyzing natural freedom as the initial state of human beings before the emergence of society, and then tracing the transition to civil and political freedom, which is regulated within the framework of law and the social contract. The study clarifies that the social contract does not lead to the loss of freedom but rather to its reorganization, as individuals relinquish part of their natural freedom in exchange for a more stable and secure civil freedom within the framework of the general will. Thus, Rousseau’s concept of freedom is based on the distinction between natural freedom and civil freedom, with the transition between them representing a shift from absolute individual freedom to regulated freedom within society. The study aims to deepen the understanding of the relationship between freedom in its natural, political, and moral dimensions and to highlight its philosophical foundations. It also recommends paying greater attention to the role of education in building the morally free individual by developing awareness, responsibility, and decision-making abilities, thereby contributing to the formation of a citizen capable of exercising freedom consciously and responsibly within society.