Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Ernesto Laclau and the somewhat particular universal
Philosophy and Social Criticism 35 (5):555-587 (2009)
| Abstract | Rousseau's general will is mostly interpreted as promoting social unity at the expense of plurality. Conversely, this article argues that the general will depends on, and preserves, plurality for its formation and legitimacy. The general and the particular are not fixed opposites, for Rousseau, but are interdependent and contextually defined. The Rousseauian universal anticipates Laclau's notion of universality. The absence of any natural foundations for society deprives the universal of any pre-given identity. Likewise, the Laclauian universal names the lack of ultimate ground for society. To prevent either sectarianism or despotism, the universal has to be constructed politically. Rousseau's contingent general will supplements the lack of universality, as diverse groups and individuals construct common values and political objectives that unify them across divisions without suppressing their difference. Due to its originary lack, the general will remains for ever incomplete. That incompleteness conditions the questioning, ambiguity and openness to change characterizing democracy. Key Words: democracy • equality • freedom • general will • Ernesto Laclau • particular • plurality • Jean-Jacques Rousseau • sovereignty • universal. | |||||||||
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Jonathan Marks (2005). Perfection and Disharmony in the Thought of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Cambridge University Press.
Robbie Duschinsky (2013). Augustine, Rousseau, and the Idea of Childhood1. Heythrop Journal 54 (1):77-88.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1997). The Discourses and Other Political Writings. Cambridge University Press.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1997). The Social Contract and Other Later Political Writings. Cambridge University Press.
Maurizio Viroli (1988). Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the "Well-Ordered Society". Cambridge University Press.
Mads Qvortrup (2003). The Political Philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau: The Impossibility of Reason. Manchester University Press.
Jean Starobinski (1988). Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Transparency and Obstruction. University of Chicago Press.
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