Philosophize This!

Episode #047 ... Rousseau pt. 3 - The General Will

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Jan 10, 2015
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ANECDOTE

IKEA Analogy

  • Stephen West compares building a government to assembling IKEA furniture.
  • Both come with parts and instructions, but no guide for their ultimate function.
INSIGHT

General Will

  • Rousseau believes a government's function is to serve the general will of the people.
  • Defining and implementing this 'general will' is complex and open to interpretation.
INSIGHT

Conflicting Wills

  • Citizens have multiple, potentially conflicting, wills: personal, societal, and group-affiliated.
  • This makes it challenging to determine a truly 'general' will that benefits everyone equally.
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