Rousseau's Philosophy: Social Contract and General Will

The Thought of Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born in Geneva. His ideals sometimes clashed with the Enlightenment. He lived much in Paris where he won contests, spread Enlightenment philosophy, and wrote several works. One of them, Emile, was condemned by censorship, and its author (Rousseau) was sought, leading him to flee to England where he found refuge.

The two fundamental aspects of Rousseau's thought are:

• A negative consideration of culture and the humanities, as well as civilization and all its products.
• A positive reflection on politics and governments.

His central contribution to political thought is the concept of the general will.

Critique of Civilization and Society

Human nature is good, but civilization and culture have corrupted it. He argues that we must reform those aspects of society that have helped make human beings unhappy. These unfortunate aspects are:

• Private property is the cause of the economic inequalities that exist in society.
• Arbitrary and despotic power is illegitimate and leads to the subjugation of society.

The Social Contract

Rousseau considered it necessary to establish a new social pact to build a new society without inequality or despotism. His theory refers to:

• The state of nature, in which, at its origins, man was a kind and happy being moved by self-love and love for his neighbor.
• The social contract, which states that humans need to partner with other men to protect themselves from the dangers that threaten natural life.

The General Will

Rousseau believed that the state is necessary but is legitimate only when it preserves the freedoms and equalities that existed in the state of nature. The social contract is based on the general will. From the phrase "each person, in uniting with all, remains as free as before," conclusions arise:

• The general will emanates directly from the people.
• The notion of general will is opposed to representative democracy.
• The concept of general will is inconsistent with the division of powers.
• The general will opposes the liberal thesis.

Inspirer of Socialism

He inspired socialist ideas.