Jean Jacques Rousseau, Social Contract

Jean Jacques Rousseau, Social Contract

The general will is always determined for the public, but when choosing this will, they do not always have this balance. You want to have a common good but many times this is unknown. Many times there is no difference between everyone’s will, which would be private, and the general will. Among the people, there is usually difference when always agreeing what is the common good. If these did not communicate with each other when choosing the general will, the common good would always come out. However, the people can meet in different associations that, although they have a common will, is deprived of the State and would only add a particular difference and opinion. In order to achieve a majority with a general will that is common to the State, associations that allow a partial society must be reduced. Or failing to multiply the number of these so that, as well as the result of the appearance of the general will.

Sovereignty is composed of the power that nature gives to the political body and must be governed by the general will. The sovereign, within the management of sovereignty, can ask citizens to provide services to the State, but it is only for a common good since you cannot ask for something that is only for the individual good of the sovereign. In addition, the citizen will fulfill this since it is not only for a common good but for his own good since, although it is inevitable, he will always be seeing for him, as is made in the voting that in that common good that is also included, the individual well who wants and votes more for the good of each one that is expected to be common.

This also includes the sovereign since although it governs all citizens and that is why it already has a higher range, this does not mean that it is also not governed by the social pact and that it must see for all citizens since in The moment that this is not their power will be incompetent. In the same way, it must be made clear that each of the citizens with the social pact, despite the common good, enjoy freedom and individual goods that this is not interrupted by this pact, have only improved their life. Although they have given their lives to the State to protect it and that when they have to defend the State, this will be returned by him seeing for his good.

Within the social contract, it is governed that for a citizen to be protected, not only by the State but also by other contracting members, it must be at risk by the State when it is due. In addition, if one of the citizens endangers the life of the rest, it is not only breaking with the pact, but is becoming an enemy of the country. The contract is broken at the moment in which judgments are made and it is declared guilty of his action against other citizens and does not judge him as a member of the Social Pact but more as an enemy of the State. The convictions can only be made by the sovereign, although it is a power that he can do without having done so. Regarding the exemption of someone who has been considered guilty, it can only be done by the sovereign, who is above the law and judges. In a well -governed state, this is not almost necessary since there are almost no guilty of crimes. When the State decays, the number of criminals increases. In the Roman state, the concession of the eximition was not carried out since the people did not allow it, but according to Rousseau, it must be left to the hands of fair men who have never had to be in the hands of them to be exempted to them.

The social pact must have proof and form through laws. But these laws that govern the social pact are the laws of state that differ from the laws of nature. Laws in relation to citizens do not take them as individuals but as bodies that carry out actions that are not considered this but rather abstractions. The laws can do different things, but among those cannot introduce members within the State or in a real government with hereditary succession to name a king or the royal family since they are individual actions and therefore are not of their incumbency. Therefore, all states that are governed by laws, Rousseau calls them republics. The people are the one who must regulate these laws, although sometimes the people are not aware of what good is. To do this, it is necessary that you become aware of what the common good is and that the individual is not directed. For this reason, each citizen must help with the other since what some see others cannot see it because they are blinded to their particular good.

When deciding the laws that benefit all citizens, a person who is able to see the needs of each individual and hence the laws and not only guide themselves for their own good must be sought. This, says Rousseau, are the laws given by gods. The legislator must be able to unite all citizens to join forces and establish solidly within the State. He must be the person who looks for the common good and not for his own good, as the sovereign would do. In addition, it is the people who normally decide that laws create and does not allow anyone to impose any because man is before the laws and, therefore, the legislator cannot use force to try to impose them. Thus, to ensure that the people comply with the laws that the legislator believes better for him, it has been said that these come from the gods. Therefore, it is said that religion and politics always end up related.

The legislator when proclaiming the laws must take into account if the people will be able to accept them in a pleasant way and support them. Since the people are enlarging, it is more difficult to govern it. This, in addition, of the time that passes makes the legislator more difficulty in it because the people come with a freedom and customs than a person who comes new to the people of the people is difficult to remove. Although, if he says that there have been examples in history in which the legislator or sovereign if he has imposed over the people and achieved his discipline, but that assumed that his freedom will be taken. To do this, Rousseau concludes, which as in the laws of nature, men also have a cycle of maturity: childhood, youth and adulthood; in which the State must be disciplined in the right phase so that it is disciplined and that no apex of rebellion against this discipline occurs.

Continuing with the above, says Rousseau that a nation so that it can be governed must have a type of measure, it cannot be very large since it could not be governed, or very small that would not be sustained on its own. As an example, there are the empires that always wanted to extend without realizing that a small empire was better that could be governed. Since if this is too large, it cannot be governed by itself the emperor and will have to go to administrators who help him command of different areas of the empire. In addition, these administrative ones will see being in charge of a somewhat positive zone since little by little they can take away the power to completely govern the emperor, since the governor does not have constant contact with his people and therefore the administrative decide how that area is governed. That makes citizens many times are dissatisfied. In spite of this, the extension of a people will depend on the standard of living that is offered in it and, therefore, the laws that the emperor will not be based only on one time. And the people must also take into account that the laws will be decided according to the common non -individual good. An ideal people would be in which all members know each other and help each other.

Following the extension, there is talk of the two ways in which a political body can be measured, with the number of citizens who make up the people or with the amount of lands that are had. It is said that these two elements are closely related since who governs is man and within the State the survival of the people depends on the extension of the land. In addition, there is the conflict of land possession, the more land a man possesses, the greater his power will be. So so that man can protect what he is his must ally with others and thus unite his powers. However, the governors themselves come into conflict with others to see who has more land extension.

The different legislation systems are made up of two qualities that each person must have within society. Equality and freedom. In the case of the first, he says that every human being is the same and that none should be less than another and much less be belittled by the other, hence, the freedom is derived. All citizens have it and cannot be removed from any citizen. The formation of the State is solid if the legislation is constituted and in which all members agree to what is decisive. If there is any type of deception towards the members, the State can be destroyed and with it its citizens.