Abstract
Everyone wants what is in his own interest; hence everyone wants what is in the common interest of all the members of the community to which he belongs. This shared want (as we saw on pp. 73–6) is the general will. What specific policies does the general will require? It might be thought that this question is easily answered. If the general will consists of the wants that are shared by all the citizens, then you ask each of them what his wants are, from the answers pick out whatever items are common to everyone’s list, and that is the general will.
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© 1973 John C. Hall
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Hall, J.C. (1973). Law and the Legislator. In: Rousseau. Philosophers in Perspective. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-00018-0_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-00018-0_7
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
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