Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote the influential work "The Social Contract," published in 1762. In this philosophical treatise, Rousseau discussed the concept of political legitimacy and the emergence of government as a response to human nature and society. He famously opened the work with, "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains," reflecting his views on individual freedom versus societal constraints. Rousseau argued that a legitimate government is based on the collective will of the people (the "general will") and should be formed through a social contract where individuals join together in a cooperative society, prioritizing the common good.