Utopia Based On General Will

Rousseau devoted all his life to wandering, and he is one of the most controversial ideologists. However, the controversy about Rousseau’s theory is focused on the reading of general will which is kernel of Rousseau’s thought in academic circle, which results in the misunderstand of the whole idea of Rousseau and make Rousseau a chameleon. Therefore, the author try to illuminate the construction of Rousseau’s Utopia based on the reasonable understand of general will in the article, then hackle and rethink the republic of Rousseau to clarify the misapprehend of Rousseau’s thought.Just as Zhu Xueqin treats general will as the spiritual entrance of Rousseau’s Utopia, general will is the foundation of Rousseau’s Utopia actually. However, in Rousseau’s opinion, general will can be divided into two different categories and three diverse hierarchies, namely, general will consists of contractual general will and practical general will, and practical general will is made up of individual general will and decision-making general will in hierarchy. But contractual general will is at the top, which roots in social contract and outbalances social contract. Therefore, contractual general will is soul of social contract, which is applied to the republic principle of Rousseau’s Utopia. Consequently, only practical general will is instructed by contractual general will can it be applied to the democratic principle of Rousseau’s Utopia. In other words, general will qua the foundation of political validity is applied to the framework of Rousseau’s Utopia. Firstly, Rousseau sublimates nomocracy which is the practice of contractual general will into republic principle to construct Utopia. Secondly, Rousseau sublimes the process of individual general will become decision-making general will, the democratic course of foundation of government, into democratic principle to sustain Utopia. Finally, as result of the establishment of the republic principle and the democratic principle, Rousseau accomplished the construction of Utopia, which make general will can govern the democratic republic practically and make people can enjoy the real freedom, then the principium of rights can be confirmed. In a word, although the reality of Rousseau’s republic structure is impossible, the political thought of the structure deserves our deep speculation, because it is helpful to the construction of Chinese democratic political institution.