The concept of general will is the crux of rousseaus political philosophy and his most important contribution to political thought. The general will is central to the political thought of the swissborn french political philosopher jeanjacques rousseau and an important concept in modern republican thought. Rather, it is the will of the political organism that he sees as an entity with a life of its own. The right of the strongest voluntarily, and the family itself is then maintained only by agreement. Understanding the general will ur scholarship repository. Cole adopted and revised rousseaus concept of the general will. The general will is central to the political thought of the. Of education peter m collins marquette university milwaukee, wisconsin the complexity of jean jacques rousseau becomes evident in the severe contrast within his views upon education one of the central issues raised in his educational theory is the relationship between education for.
General will, in political theory, a collectively held will that aims at the common good or common interest. Pdf the article introduces rousseaus central theory, the general will, and his body politic. Tlousseaus seminal contributions to democratic theory are his views on the development of the social contract and his notion of the general will. During his early guild socialist phase cole drew on the general will in his scheme f. I reconstruct rousseaus mathematical idea of the general will as an integral. Collective goodst rationalityt and tbe general will. Key words cosmopolitism general will intersubjectivity nation.
This common liberty is an upshot of the nature of man. In the discourse on political economy, where he had first stated the concept of general will, rousseau says that general will tends always to the preservation and welfare of the whole and of every part, and is the source of the laws, constitutes for all the members of the. The notion of a general will in the philosophical theory of the. The idea of the general will is at the heart of rousseaus philosophy. Rousseaus original plan for on the social contract are consistent on that point. Jeanjacques rousseau, populariser of the idea of the general will. Brief essay on general will as expounded by rousseau.
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