... have more right than anyone else. He said that to be legitimate authority must come from all people in the state and not just from one person, that nobody has a natural authority over anyone else as everyone is free and equal. He follows this by saying, only the right to command others gives any authority legitimacy, this right can only come from a social order, a system where all members of society, can enter a contract which allows them unity, equality and freedom. Rousseau argues that the exercise of force is to have more power, not more authority. Through the use of thought experiments he defends this statement by saying that when authority is taken by force, that authority will not keep hold of the power that has been gained, because there will always be opponents who are stronger. Such power cannot be maintained permanently as someone could always ...

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