“The social order is a sacred right which serves as a basis for all other rights.”Jean-Jacques Rousseau · Contractul social · 1762 · Cartea I, capitolul 1
Social order is legitimate only when it rests on people's free consent, not on force.
Rousseau opens his book with a challenge: if the social order is mere force or habit, then our rights are fragile. He wants to show that it can be legitimate, that is, founded on the free agreement of people rather than on violence. The word sacred is not religious here; it marks something that cannot be sacrificed. Example: property, voting, or safety exist only where people have together accepted a common framework.
Why it matters It helps us understand why our rights depend on a common pact that it is our duty to keep legitimate.