Table of Contents
- 1 Who coined the term general will?
- 2 Who and which book advocates the concept of general will?
- 3 In which book did Bodin propounded the theory of sovereignty?
- 4 What is the social contract was proposed by Rousseau?
- 5 How is the general will related to the rule of law?
- 6 Where did Rousseau get the idea of the general will?
Who coined the term general will?
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
In political philosophy, the general will (French: volonté générale) is the will of the people as a whole. The term was made famous by 18th-century Genevan philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Who and which book advocates the concept of general will?
The general will, made famous by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, is a concept in political philosophy referring to the will of the people as a whole. As used by Rousseau, the “general will” is identical to the rule of law.
Who propounded sovereignty in his famous concept of the general will?
1. Legal and Political Sovereignty: Legal theory of sovereignty, in modern times, was first propounded by Jean Bodin (1530-1596) in his famous book Six Books of a Commonwealth published in 1576.
What does Rousseau mean by perfectibility?
The single characteristic that sets humans apart from other animals is what Rousseau calls “perfectibility.” Man is more malleable than the other animals, possessing the ability to learn and devise better means to satisfy his needs.
In which book did Bodin propounded the theory of sovereignty?
Bodin’s classical definition of sovereignty is: “la puissance absolue et perpetuelle d’une République” (the absolute and perpetual power of a Republic). His main ideas about sovereignty are found in chapter VIII and X of Book I, including his statement “The sovereign Prince is accountable only to God”.
The Social Contract argued against the idea that monarchs were divinely empowered to legislate. Rousseau asserts that only the people, who are sovereign, have that all-powerful right….The Social Contract.
| Title page of the first octavo edition | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jean-Jacques Rousseau |
| Original title | Du contrat social; ou, Principes du droit politique |
Where does the idea of the general will come from?
In obeying the law, the individual citizen is thus only obeying himself as a member of the political community. The notion of the general will precedes Rousseau and has its roots in Christian theology.
Who was the populariser of the general will?
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, populariser of the idea of the general will. In political philosophy, the general will (French: volonté générale) is the will of the people as a whole.
As used by Rousseau, the “general will” is considered by some identical to the rule of law, and to Spinoza’s mens una. The notion of the general will is wholly central to Rousseau’s theory of political legitimacy.
Where did Rousseau get the idea of the general will?
In his Discourse on Political Economy, Rousseau explicitly credits Diderot ‘s Encyclopédie article ” Droit Naturel ” as the source of “the luminous concept” of the general will, of which he maintains his own thoughts are simply a development.