Rousseau's Social Contract: How We Became Slaves › Key Concepts

::: {.callout-note title="The General Will (Volonté Générale)"} The general will is not the sum of individual preferences (the "will of all") but what the community would choose if everyone considered the common good rather than private advantage. It's what we would want if we could think clearly about what's genuinely best for everyone, ourselves included. ::: Understanding the general will requires distinguishing it from related concepts. The "will of all" is simply an aggregation of private desires. Poll everyone about their preferences, and you get the will of all. But this might be deeply misguided. A majority might vote for policies that benefit them at others' expense, or that satisfy short-term desires while undermining long-term flourishing. The general will, by contrast, aims at genuine common interest. It's what would emerge if citizens deliberated as citizens, considering what's good for the political community as a whole, rather than as private individuals chasing private gains. Rousseau admits this is demanding. It requires citizens capable of transcending their immediate self-interest, at least when making political decisions. ::: {.callout-note title="Sovereignty"} For Rousseau, sovereignty (the ultimate political authority) belongs inalienably to the people as a collective body. It cannot be transferred to a king, delegated to representatives, or divided among branches of government. The people themselves must make the fundamental laws under which they live. ::: This is more radical than it sounds. Rousseau isn't just saying government should serve the people's interests. He's saying the people themselves must actively exercise legislative power. Representatives can execute laws and handle day-to-day governance, but the fundamental act of law-making must involve citizens directly. Any system where others make laws on your behalf is, to that extent, a form of servitude. ::: {.callout-note title="Civil Freedom vs. Natural Freedom"} Natural freedom is the unlimited liberty to pursue whatever you desire, constrained only by your own strength. Civil freedom is the liberty to act within laws you have helped create. Rousseau argues civil freedom is superior: it transforms impulsive creatures into moral beings capable of genuine autonomy. :::