Final answer:
According to Rousseau, the general will is the collective will of the people, which is the source of all legitimate authority in government. He advocated for a social contract and a direct democracy where citizens actively participate in creating laws that reflect the general will. This philosophy was in contrast to authoritarian views, supporting civic freedom and collective governance.
Step-by-step explanation:
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Swiss political philosopher who deeply influenced the concept of democracy with his idea of the general will. According to Rousseau, the general will is the collective will of the people and should serve as the fundamental source of all legitimate authority in the government. He believed that this will reflects what is best for the society as a whole rather than for particular individuals, essentially making people both sovereign and subject at the same time.
Rousseau suggested that laws and government actions should align with the general will because such laws would express the true good of every person in society. This perspective contrasts sharply with perspectives like those of Thomas Hobbes, who believed in a stronger, quasi-authoritarian rule to maintain order. Rousseau's view advocates for a more direct democracy, where citizens are actively involved in governance rather than simply being represented.
He argued that a social contract is made among all people of a society to harmonize individual and collective interests. Rousseau's assertion that "Man is born free, yet he is in chains everywhere" encapsulates his appraisal of contemporary governments as restrictive and his appeal for a system that truly reflects the collective free will.