GUIDE TO THE PHILOSOPHY 1938 - 1947.pdf - Rare Books at ...

496
POLITICS
and welfare of the society to which the individual belongs.
Indeed, it was in order to secure the individual's good in
the long run that society was formed, and the individual
consented to its formation. Therefore, when obeying that
aspect of his own will which is manifested and expressed
in the edicts of society, the individual is realizing his own
true freedom. Rousseau's conclusion is that he who refuses
to obey the general win of society shall be made to do so;
that is to say, he shall be "forced to be free".
But what is this common or "general will' 9
which the
individual "has as a citizen"? The answer to this question
brings us to the most celebrated feature of Rousseau's
political philosophy, his conception of the General Will.
The conception is both difficult and important; the
difficulty is inherent in the doctrine itself, but it is increased
by Rousseau's confusing and inconsistent manner
of expounding it; the importance arisen from the influence
which the doctrine of the General Will has had upon
subsequent thinkers and, in the twentieth century, upon
events.
Rousseau is led to introduce the doctrine with the object
of justifying his view that, in completely submitting
himself to all, each is nevertheless guaranteed against
oppression, "since none can have any interest in making"
the conditions of society "hard for the others". Rousseau
continues, "since each only surrenders himself to the
whole and not to any individual, and since he acquires
just the same rights over every man as he yields to him
over himself, all gain exactly as much as they lose and also
increased power to preserve their possessions". This
deniable consummation might conceivably be realized
in a society in which each individual is a member of the
government, and in which the government is always
unanimous. In a tyranny, an oligarchy, or even in a de-
mocracy based on representative government it is obviously
totally unrealizable. . Rousseau has, however, already
ruled out all these forms of constitution. He envisages,
it will be remembered, an extreme type of democracy in