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    Carmelics

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    LoyalLoyalJusticeJustice
    Made withinDC&Austin
    Statements
    321,452
    Perspectives
    108,905
    Topics
    42
    Home/Original/inverse
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    Inverse View

    It is not the case that Rousseau's distinction between the will of all and the general will shows that aggregating individual preferences does not yield a genuinely authoritative collective will.

    ?Set your confidence on the premises below to see your aggregate.

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.Rousseau's distinction between will of all and general will is conceptually unclear and difficult to operationalize in practice.
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    • 2.Any actual determination of the general will must rely on aggregating some form of citizen input, making the distinction illusory.
      ?

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    • 3.Treating aggregated preferences as insufficiently authoritative invites rule by elites claiming special access to the common good.
      ?

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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.Preference aggregation mechanically sums individual interests without considering the common good or public reason.
      ?

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    • 2.The general will requires moral transformation of citizens' motivations, not mere tallying of existing selfish desires.
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    • 3.Democratic procedures that only aggregate preferences lack normative authority independent of outcome legitimacy.
      ?

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