A Study On Rousseau's Theory Of Government

Rousseau is well known for his profound, rich and complex thoughts.Great thinkers always regarded him as one of the political thinkers inthe western history as great as Plato, Hobbes and Marx, and they opposeto the opinion that classifies. Rousseau's theory of government involvesthe issues of people's sovereignty, of limited government and guaranteeof human rights, etc. Rousseau's thinking is considered as the mostpowerful ideological weapon for all the oppressed and enslaved peoplesto fight for their liberation and equal rights, and has influenced thedemocratic movements in the contemporary and modern history of the world.His theory of government in accordance with the idea of people'ssovereignty has become an immortal chapter in the history of politicalthought. Rousseau's thinking provided not only a theoretical basis forlegitimacy of the revolution in specific historical conditions, but alsopractical principles for the establishment of a democratic governmentsystem. As Rousseau claimed,"All problems basically are rooted inpolitics, and whatever people take, any nation is no more than itsgovernment which makes itï¼›so I think the issue of the best governmentcould be the transferred as follows: what makes a form of government mostethical, to make people enlightened and wise."From my perspective, theindifference and disregard of Rousseau's government theory will be a hugewaste of the valuable historical resource. The government issues willnever fall into just a small branch in the entire system of Rousseau'sthoughts. On the contrary, the exploration of "what is possible the bestgovernment", as a critical issue for a nation, is of great significanceand comprehensive values, it deserves serious consideration of everycitizen.It is important to note that the inquiry of my above proposition does not simply involve in certain scopes of governmental functions andgovernment power, etc., but an advanced proposition regarding thenational destiny. All the mysteries of philosophy lie in the people, andgovernment issues will also fall on people in the final analysis. Thepractice and evaluation of the concept of"good government"is alwaysinseparable from the participation of individual citizens. Therefore,only in the framework of the government and civil rights could thetheoretical and realistic solicitude hidden in the government issues beexamined and explored.Specifically, this study takes the government theory of Rousseau asan entry point, we take the social life of ancient Greece in the 18thcentury as the historical background, and we consider the concept changesfrom the "virtue" to the "rights" as a clue with Rousseau's original asthe textual basis and the reflective literature as reference. The thesisof my dissertation focuses on the origin of government, the legitimacyof government power, people's rights in the scope of government power,the government's ruling aspirations, the value orientation, and furtheranalysis on the contributions and limitations of Rousseau's governmenttheory. Rousseau believed that the creation of a government does notderive from a contract, but the origin of government power requires aninitial agreement. From the dimension of the contract theories in thehistory, this idea reflects an idealistic and simplistic tendency anddistorts the class nature of the nation and government to some extent.However, a turn of the research perspectives to the promotion of people'sliberation and the maintenance of social fair order reviews the historicaladvance of contract theory. Only when the government rulings are treatedas contract-based transactions, can bi-directivity, justice andlegitimacy of political policies be guaranteed to certain extent. Eachgroup or each citizen can express their views on government decisions in legal procedures, put forward reasonable proposals, and protect their ownrights. When the administrative act of the government harms the interestsof the majority, people can exercise their right of recall. It is apparentthat it is the contract that facilitates maintenance of political fairnessin the real checks and balances. In Rousseau's view, the fundamental basisof the modern nation consists in the sovereignty of people and people arealways the sole sovereignty with the highest authority at any time andany place. The idea of people's sovereignty undoubtedly became the mostradical political expression in the enlightenment period.An ideal concept of "good government" is constructed with thecommitment to the cultivation of a nation with the most enlightened, wise,and ethical citizens. Therefore, politics should be backed up with moralfactors. It is obvious that sole reliance on brute force and law will neverreach the realm as wonderful as the natural state of gold. The constructionand operation of government power system can not be separated from thecontribution of civic ethics, because only the government with virtuescan foster citizens with moral standards. Rousseau's intention to reducepolitical issues to moral questions led to his thorough exploration ofhuman's complexity, awakening the desire for humanity at a higher leveland establishing a modern politics with virtuosity. Along with the trendof new liberalism, the individual rights were raised to the supreme status,and the protection of individual rights and liberty was regarded as thesacred duty of the government. All citizens in the society enjoyed equalstatus, equal opportunity and fair allocation; in the meanwhile they hadthe obligation to supervise government management, curb corruptions andmaintain public interests. Consequently, rights are inherent compositionand basic characteristics of human, and the identification and inevitablerequirements of human subjectivity. The contemporary theory of governmentfeatures its emphasis on the guarantee of the public rights of the individual at the maintenance of its neutrality. The ultimate goal of thegovernment administration lies in the realization of obeying and servingpeople's subjective rights. An agreement has been reached that thechanges of government concept from the "moral" to the "right" make animportant distinction in the idea of government between the classical andthe contemporary. In the contemporary theory of government, the positionof the people's subjectivity is raised and the expression of human rightsis further realized and objectified. This theory reveals a new spirit ofpolitical activities and becomes an important theoretical resource ofcontemporary western constitutional movements.From the historical dimension of political democratization in Europesince the 18th century, Rousseau's influence is indisputably immeasurable,especially his enlightenment in the French Revolution. This is not onlybecause Rousseau is one of the most representative political figures inhistory and the mental instructor for the revolutionists of differentclasses in his era, but also because his ideas have become a wealth forthe theoretical and practical values in modern democratic politicalexperience heritage. In the development of the political civilization,especially democratic politics, government has always undergone thepressure of how to prove its legitimacy of the public powers for the public.In the critical time of a social change, the legitimacy of a governmentnot only derives from a top-down legal confirmation, but also arises fromthe public trust in of the government. The core idea of "good government"in the administrative philosophy is consisted of the representation andexpression of public interests, of its positive interactions withcitizens, and of its constructive ideas for resolution to the trust crisisin government with the increasing rigidness, corruptions inside thebureaucratic administration system.Based on the examines of Rousseau's government theory, my dissertation aims at the following two aspects: the first is to interpretof Rousseau's inheritance, critique and transcendence of otherrepresentative government theories in the 18th century, the second is topresent various inquiries, arguments and reconstructions of this theoryand to present my reflections on its theoretical values, especially onits theoretical limitations. The great concern and contribution of mydissertation fall into the comprehensive interpretations on Rousseau'sGovernment Theory from the multi-dimensions and critical reflections. Asa consequence my dissertation holds considerable referential values notonly for the study of western political ideas, and a good grasp of thedeep-rooted philosophy in the western system of government construction,but also for the practical orientation of the current Chinese government,the orientation of how the government engage in positive interaction withcitizens, and the pattern of how to construct a good government.