Journal of Beijing Normal University(Social Sciences) ›› 2025, Vol. 0 ›› Issue (2): 104-119.
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CHEN Hao
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Abstract: In Philosophy of Right Hegel accuses Rousseau for failing to distinguish between the general will(volonté générale)and the will of all(volonté de tous), which has often been seen as Hegel's misinterpretation of Rousseau.However, given that the core characteristic of Rousseau's “general will” lies in its aspiration towards common interests and the common good, it necessarily requires corresponding will subjects not only to exhibit neutral volition capability but also to possess normative cognition capacity.Furthermore, the question arises of how will subjects can acquire such normative capacity.Hegel believes that this normative capacity of the will can only be intrinsic, and gradually developed through the cultivation of “bourgeois” in civil societies, unlike Rousseau's treatment of “citizens” by states, which seeks external normativity through contracts or indoctrination.Therefore, it seems reasonable to infer that the true disagreement between Hegel and Rousseau lies in whether to acknowledge civil societies as an independent domain that must not only exist outside states but also forms the foundation of states.
Key words: Rousseau, Hegel, general will, universal will, civil societies, states
CLC Number:
B5
CHEN Hao. Citizens Fade out, Burghers Stand out: Hegel's Critique of Rousseau's Conception of the General Will[J]. Journal of Beijing Normal University(Social Sciences), 2025, 0(2): 104-119.
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