Rousseau’s Nonexistent Co-existing State

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The idea of a utopian state is one many people have hoped for or thought of, a place where all people are treated equal and free. Jean Jacques Rousseau developed the theory of sovereign government and the ‘le volante general’, meaning the general will, in his book The Social Contract. There are certain problems with his theory such as, citizens will not be in similar situations, and so if the law was decided on, it will have different impacts on different people, leaving the minority at a disadvantage. Although citizens can help to set the general will they might not be moved to follow it, leading to an imbalance in equality. The will of the rulers can be general will as long as the sovereign agree, this can lead to authoritarianism. Every act of general will binds all citizens, for the sovereign only sees the body of the state not the individuals who make it up. The legislator is in charge of giving the citizens a false sense or illusion of free will, completely destroying Rousseau’s theory of co-existing free citizens. Rousseau’s sovereign government and volante general, does not allow for the co-existence of free and equal citizens. Rousseau’s ‘free state’, does not allow for the co-existence of free and equal citizens because a collective will cannot be established. This is due to people’s differing individual interests and life styles, causing the collective will to be a majority rules. This state will also fail to be ‘free’ because the government can have complete authority over the state, causing the collective will to be whatever they desire. The coexistence of equal citizens cannot be established when the laws do not equally apply to each individual. Rousseau’s sovereign government is a form of democracy in which... ... middle of paper ... ... (1950). The social contract: and discourses (New American ed.). New York: E.P. Dutton and Company, Inc.. Rousseau, J. (1945). The confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau. New York: Modern Library. The Enlightenment in Europe. (n.d.). classzone.com. Retrieved September 22, 2013, from www.martinsmwh.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/The-Enlightenment-in-Europe.pdf Woolner, H. (n.d.). To what extent can Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s ‘The Social Contract’ and John Berger’s ‘G.’ be said to show democracy as the best political model for a society.. Innervate. Retrieved September 22, 2013, from www.nottingham.ac.uk/english/documents/innervate/08-09/0809woolnerrepresentingdemocracy.pdf Rousseau, discourse on the origin of inequality, part I. (n.d.). Notes for philosophy 166. Retrieved September 22, 2013, from philosophyfaculty.ucsd.edu/faculty/rarneson/courses/166RousseauDISCOURSE.pdf

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