“The law is the expression of the general will.”Jean-Jacques Rousseau · Contractul social · 1762 · Book I, Chapter 6
The legitimacy of law derives from the common agreement of citizens for the general good.
Rousseau defines law as an instrument of popular sovereignty. A legitimate law is not imposed by a monarch or elite but arises from citizens' common agreement on the common good. For example, a referendum on a major issue expresses this general will, unlike a decision made by a small group.
Rousseau says true law is the people's voice. But how do we know if a law truly represents the common good? He makes a fine distinction between the general will and the will of all. The will of all is the sum of individual interests. The general will is something else: it is the common interest that remains after we remove differences. For example, when neighbors vote for a park, some want playgrounds, others jogging paths. The general will is neither option, but the green space that unites them all. This idea takes us further: how do we separate collective interest from personal one?
Why it matters It reminds us that genuine democracy requires civic participation and laws that serve everyone, not just privileged groups.