The Social Contract · Chapter
Whether the General Will Is Fallible explained
Rousseau argues that the general will is always right and aims at the public good, but the people can be deceived and thus appear to will what is bad.
What happens
Rousseau argues that the general will is always right and aims at the public good, but the people can be deceived and thus appear to will what is bad. He distinguishes the general will from the will of all, the latter being a sum of private interests. To ensure the general will is expressed, there should be no partial societies within the state, or if they exist, they should be numerous and equal, as exemplified by Lycurgus, Solon, Numa, and Servius.
Themes in this chapter
The General Will
Rousseau distinguishes the general will (always right, common interest) from the will of all (sum of private interests), and explains how factions can distort it.
Decline and Corruption of the State
The chapter warns that partial associations and factions corrupt the general will, leading to decisions that are no longer general but particular.
Characters to notice
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Author and narrator, presenting the argument that the general will is always right but the people can be deceived.
- Lycurgus
Cited as the founder of the sublime system of no partial societies within the state.
- Servius Tullius
Mentioned alongside Solon and Numa as a leader who prevented inequality among partial societies.
Key passages
“It follows from what has gone before that the general will is always right and tends to the public advantage; but it does not follow that the deliberations of the people are always equally correct.”
The general will always aims at the common good, but the people's decisions are not always correct because they can be misled.
Rousseau establishes the infallibility of the general will in principle, while acknowledging human fallibility in practice.
“There is often a great deal of difference between the will of all and the general will; the latter considers only the common interest, while the former takes private interest into account, and is no more than a sum of particular wills.”
The will of all is the aggregate of individual interests, whereas the general will focuses solely on the common good.
Key distinction between collective self-interest and true common interest.
“It is therefore essential, if the general will is to be able to express itself, that there should be no partial society within the State, and that each citizen should think only his own thoughts.”
For the general will to emerge, there must be no factions, and each citizen must vote independently.
Rousseau advocates for a society without intermediary groups to preserve the purity of the general will.