The Social Contract - Conclusion

ConclusionQuoteIn 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…