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Western Political Thought

Notes formation of national spirit. Rousseau tried to free the individual from the tyranny of the clergy,
and instead subjected him to the religious principles dictated by the nature and necessities of the
state itself. He insisted that only patriotic citizens could enjoy and cherish freedom. He spoke of
national education which would eradicate superstitions and prejudices, for it was an education of
character rather than of the intellect.
The most controversial aspect of the notion of the General Will was Rousseau’s assertion that
freedom consisted in following its dictates. True freedom could be realized if one followed the
moral law that one had agreed to adhere to willingly and voluntarily. Freedom could not be
through maximization of self-interest, but by promotion of certain common ends. The General
Will held the key to the moral transformation of the individual, since it consisted of all the real
wills as opposed to the actual will. The real will was the capacity and intention within the individual
to aim for the general welfare of all. The actual will, however, was the selfish individual will.
Rousseau tried to obviate human selfishness by designing democratic institutions that would
provide the incentive to accept moral laws which advanced common interests. An important
precondition was a certain level of economic and social equality. Even with the acceptance of the
General Will, it was possible that there could be an erring individual who might be enslaved by
his lower self, and therefore be unfree. In that case the individual could be “forced to be free”.
Rousseau did not see any possibility of the General Will becoming tyrannical. As such, he did not
provide any safeguards. He was an advocate of liberty involving self-mastery. It signified freedom
to do something. Berlin (1969) regarded positive liberty as necessary for a decent humane existence,
but found it problematic, for though autonomy and self-control were good, they could be perverted
into a “freedom” to achieve “self lealization”. Freedom, for Rousseau, meant obedience to a rational
will, which in turn suggested the existence of one life plan, one way of life for all people. The
metaphysical idea behind positive liberty was monism, that everything could be explained with
reference to a single homogeneous principle and discoverable laws. Rousseau’s shared experience
of life became commonality of interests for Burke. A defence of positive liberty led to determinism
and totalitarianism. Rousseau’s vision was illiberal, for it presumed that all moral, political and
social conflict was a symptom of immorality or unreason, if not error. It also presupposed that a
harmonious and conflictless community symbolized identity of wills among free individuals.

8.9 Role of the Legislator

Rousseau believed that one of the reasons for the success of ancient republics was the role of the
legislator. A legislator, an exceedingly rare figure in moments of history with superhuman
responsibilities, created persons capable of constituting the General Will. The role of the legislator
would be to transform individuals and change human nature, alter the constitution with the
purpose of strengthening it, and bring about a complete moral existence to an otherwise partial
one. The legislator was a charismatic figure with semi-divine qualities. He was independent of the
people, but would devote himself to their happiness by protecting their interests. Rousseau had
the same adulation for legislators that one found subsequently in Burke.
The legislator played a key role in the establishment of the state, but not in its routine law-making
functions. He proposed laws with the support of the people. Rousseau frequently mentioned
Lycurgus, the lawgiver of Sparta as an example. Interestingly, he suggested that he was qualified
to be an appropriate legislator for Corsica and Poland. The legislator had to be aware of the size
of the territory, which had to be small and compact for self-sufficiency and self-government. Like
Plato and Aristotle, he felt that moral character and political participation were best possible in a
society that was fairly equal and with sufficient material goods. He did not have any conception
of a mass society. Rousseau also gave centrality to the role of education in moulding character,
shaping opinions and tastes. He was equally concerned with public ceremonies and public
education, for these would instil a sense of national patriotism.

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