Readify
Download App

The General Will Takes Shape

The Social Contract

This flow follows the General Will from the creation of a collective body through its distinction from private preferences and its difficult expression in public decisions.

increasingupBearing stren­gth in each eventdowndecreasing
Collective Will BornCollective Will Born from "The Social Contract". Collective Will Born A Common Person Association gives the community unity, identity, life, and will.
Collective Will Born A Common Person Association gives the community unity, identity, life, and will. Its members now participate in a public being that is more than a mere gathering. Political Consequence The new will supplies the basis for common rules, but its existence does not guarantee that citizens will always recognize or follow it.
Common Good DefinedCommon Good Defined from "The Social Contract". Common Good Defined The Social Tie Conflicting interests make society necessary, while their points of agreement make it possible.
Common Good Defined The Social Tie Conflicting interests make society necessary, while their points of agreement make it possible. The shared interest is what holds the association together. Direction of the State Rousseau says the General Will alone can direct the State toward its common good. Sovereignty is its exercise, not a private possession of a ruler.
Public and Private DividedPublic and Private Divided from "The Social Contract". Public and Private Divided Two Kinds of Will The Will of All adds private preferences together; the General Will concerns what citizens share.
Public and Private Divided Two Kinds of Will The Will of All adds private preferences together; the General Will concerns what citizens share. A majority’s preference is not automatically the common interest. Factional Distortion Partial associations can make their internal common purpose appear public while pursuing an interest particular to the larger State.
The People DeceivedThe People Deceived from "The Social Contract". The People Deceived Sound Aim, Poor Judgment Rousseau distinguishes the public will’s orientation toward good from the people’s ability to judge what is good.
The People Deceived Sound Aim, Poor Judgment Rousseau distinguishes the public will’s orientation toward good from the people’s ability to judge what is good. Citizens can be misled without the common interest itself disappearing. Conditions of Deliberation Factions and unequal associations make votes less reliable. The theory thus depends not merely on popular voting, but on conditions that help citizens deliberate as citizens.
A Difficult MeasureA Difficult Measure from "The Social Contract". A Difficult Measure Voting as Judgment Rousseau describes voters as judging whether a proposal conforms to the General Will, not simply reporting personal…
A Difficult Measure Voting as Judgment Rousseau describes voters as judging whether a proposal conforms to the General Will, not simply reporting personal approval. The majority is meant to reveal a shared judgment. Unresolved Risk That claim sits uneasily beside his warning that majorities can be deceived or captured by private interests. Popular decision is the means of discovery, not an infallible guarantee.
Book I, Chapter VI, as the compact creates the State
Book II, Chapter I
Book II, Chapter III
Book II, Chapter III, when factions shape deliberation
Book IV, Chapter II, during a vote on a proposed law