Unrealistic Unselfishness

Jean Jacques Rousseau, in The Social Contract, declares that an individual's general will is the ideal governing force of the state. This essentially calls for a complete separation of the individual from the state, thus forming the Sovereign. Without individual concerns and biases, the collective body rules for the common interest to create and uphold the laws of the Sovereign. Although Rousseau's intentions are undoubtedly pleasant, this concept's flaws lie in its requirement that people …

…agrees with Rousseau when he theorizes "the world's problems could be solved if people cared for one another as much as they care for themselves." Of course they could. But it! won't happen. Modern democracy basically combines Rousseau's ideals, with realism and practicality considered. Prosperous society requires an element of citizens' self-interest in the government. The resulting government is a progressive political system with active citizenship and proper representation and initiative for progress. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**