The Social Contract Lesson Plan

Explain the concept of the general will. Why is the general will such a vital part of the functioning of a society?

The general will is, for Rousseau, a check agains the selfish, brutal tendency of human beings to try to dominate one another. The general will is thus not an account of citizens’ interests, of why they have those interest, and of how they pursue them. It is rather something which is opposed to the divine right of kings, and to the arbitrary, violent exercise of political power.

Do you agree with Rousseau that there can be such a thing as a general will, above and apart from the particular wills of every member of a given society? Why or why not?