Rousseau's Theory Of The General Will

According to Rousseau’s On the Social Contract, the general will is a collectively held common good or common interest (Rousseau 167). The general will is vital in Rousseau’s theory because the legislation must create laws that promote the general will of the public. To Rousseau, the sovereign’s main goal is to find the general will of society and create laws that promote the general will. Rousseau’s theory also includes that public discourse causes the legislation to stray from the general will (Rousseau 180). Rousseau did not want public discourse in his society because he believed too many particular wills in society would cloud the legislation and assembly from passing laws that promoted the general will. I agree with Rousseau’s argument

I agree with Rousseau’s argument because there are several conditions in society that help prove his theory. A condition that supports Rousseau’s theory is if the society or assembly is small. This condition supports Rousseau’s theory because a larger populace size increases the amount of particular wills in the society. This, in turn, would increase the chances that an individual would vote to pass a law that goes against the general will. A larger populace size also increases the chance of public discourse and persuasions a citizen could face before voting. Also, a larger populace reduces the influence a citizen has while voting on which laws to pass. As the ratio of citizens increase, there is more divergence from equality as the populace starts to Rousseau says, “one should count more on the vigor born of a good government than on the resources furnished by a large territory” (Rousseau 186). An implication from this quote is that a state could focus on overproducing resources; instead of focusing on creating laws that promote the general will of society (Rousseau 187). Thus, increasing the size of the populace would, in turn, increase the chances a sovereign has of passing a law that goes against the general will. Another condition that helps prove Rousseau’s theory is public voting. Without public voting, citizens are easily coerced into voting for laws that support a particular will instead of the general will. Public voting guides striving for the common good because it allows citizens to discover the general will easier through public opinion. However, particular wills and corporate wills muddle public opinion. This may cause public opinion to be biased towards a particular or corporate will, as public discourse could sway citizens to vote for a law that promotes an individual will. In short, the size of the populace and public voting are conditions that