The Social Contract - Conclusion
Conclusion
Quote
In The Social Contract, [Rousseau] is himself taking on the role of the legislator; he is the "great man" who can discern what the masses cannot, and he can comfortably leave its execution in other hands. - Susan Wise Bauer
Notes
🔥 One big reason Rousseau got a lot of attention was his claim that in a state of nature humans could be good, but that a political state always led to "misery and tyranny."
🔥 His idea of the general will placed more importance in the people having an active role in society — as opposed to passive subjects of a king.
🔥 "From adolescence onwards, he was in many respects a social outsider. He seems to have yearned for the sense, which he never had, of belonging to a group."
🔥 His theory only makes sense in the abstract. The general will "cannot pronounce on particular cases." So a government is needed to make concrete decisions. Especially since "the people are often mistaken over what, in reality, will be good for it."
🔥 The nod to the general will is more a theoretical signal for the sovereignty of the people, without much practical impact.
🔥 Some problems with his idea of how a society compels obedience, where a person is "forced to be free."
🔥 His belief that Christianity was a threat because it was a separate authority from the sovereign was also controversial. He believed that a state should have a "state religion" so there would be no competing authorities.
🔥 As abstract as the idea of the general will might have been, it did have a big influence in advocating for the sovereignty and rights of the people.