Rousseau believed that humans are naturally good but corrupted by society and its institutions. He advocated for a social contract where individuals subjugate their personal interests to the general will, or the abstract expression of the common good. Rousseau argued people should form a direct democracy where citizens make laws themselves to prevent the ideal state from becoming too large. He believed that through the social contract and obeying the general will, individuals can remain free while preserving the state and securing freedom, equality, and justice for all citizens.

1. JEAN JACQUES
ROUSSEAU’S
POLITICAL THEORY
Prepared by Raizza Corpuz

2. "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in
chains. One man thinks himself the master
of others, but remains more of a slave than
they“
Rousseau proclaimed the natural goodness
of man and believed that one man by
nature is just as good as any other.

3.  The noble savage: Humans are naturally free and
good but are corrupted by institutions of society
(“Man is born free, but he is everywhere in chains”).
 Individuals in society must subjugate personal
interests to the general will, an abstract
expression of the common good.

4. On Politics and
Government
■ opposed to the idea that the people should exercise
sovereignty via a representative
assembly; rather, he held that they should
make the laws directly, which would
effectively prevent the ideal state from becoming
a large society.

5. ■ seriously attack the institution of private
property
■ He also questioned the assumption that the
will of the majority is always correct, arguing
that the goal of government should be:
: to secure freedom, equality and justice for all
within the state, regardless of the will of the
majority

6. The Social Contract tor
Principles of Political Right
Concept of Freedom
He believed that good government must have the freedom of all its
citizens as its most fundamental objective
1. That natural man is physically free because he is not constrained by a
repressive state apparatus or dominated by his fellow men.
2. That he is psychologically and spiritually free because he is not
enslaved to any of the artificial needs that characterize modern society.

7. ■ The social contract involves the alienation by each, of
himself and all his rights, to the community, and this takes
place in
(3) three stages:
1.each gives himself up absolutely
2.all do this unconditionally;
3. each recovers the equivalent of everything he
loses.
■ natural freedom is given up in exchange for social freedom,
where no one is dependent on another and each obeys
himself.

8. ■ He argued that, by joining together into civil
society through the social contract and
abandoning their claims of natural right,
individuals can both preserve themselves and
yet remain free, because submission to
the authority of the general will of the
people as a
whole guarantees individuals against
being subordinated to the wills of
others, and also ensures that they
themselves obey because they are
(collectively) the authors of the law.

9. The Principle of General Will
Rousseau explains, the general will is the will of the sovereign, or all the people together, that
aims at the common good—what is best for the state as a whole.
■Although each individual may have his or her own particular will that expresses what is good for
him or her, in a healthy state, where people correctly value the collective good of all over their
own personal good, the amalgamation of all particular wills, the “will of all,” is equivalent to the
general will.
■In a state where the vulgarities of private interest prevail over the common interests of the
collective, the will of all can be something quite different from the general will. The most concrete
manifestation of the general will in a healthy state comes in the form of law.
■ To Rousseau, laws should always record what the people collectively desire (the general will)
and should always be universally applicable to all members of the state. It should exist to ensure
that people’s individual freedom is upheld, thereby guaranteeing that people remain loyal to
the sovereign at all times.

10. General Will and the Will of All
■ The general will is the will of the sovereign: it aims at
the common good and it is expressed in the laws.
The will of all is simply the aggregate of the
particular wills of each individual.
■ Rousseau suggests that climate, soil, and the type
of population determine the kind of government a
state will have.

11. Summary
■ French Philosopher
■ 1762 – published Social Contract
■ Gov’t should be based on a Social Contract
■ Everyone must agree to be governed by the general
will , what's good for the people (foundation for
totalitarian gov’t)
■ Humans being were naturally good but corrupted by
society
■ Importance on Education and Civic Virtue – train
people how to be good citizens.
■ People should pay more attention to emotions &
feelings instead of new ideas –seek a balance –