from General will is formed by conflicts of individual interests If citizens donât interact, the general will will emerge from many small differences.
(Vol. 4, Chapter 1): âSi, quand le peuple suffisamment informĂ© dĂ©libĂšre, les citoyens nâavaient aucune communication entre eux, de la grande quantitĂ© de petites diffĂ©rences rĂ©sulterait toujours la volontĂ© gĂ©nĂ©rale, et la dĂ©libĂ©ration serait toujours bonne.â (If citizens do not interact with each other in well-informed deliberations, the deliberations will always be good, as many small differences will always produce the general will.)
Here, Rousseau points out that various small âdifferencesâ or âdifferencesâ are important and are the source of the general will. These âsmall differencesâ accumulate to form a pure general will that seeks the public good.
From these passages, we can see that Rousseau considers individual differences and conflicts to be an essential element of the general will, and that he does not see it as a âsumâ of individual wills, but as an aggregate of individual wills by âdifferencesâ.
relevance - Communication is detrimental to the formation of the general will - Diversity is the fuel of social progress
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