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It is not the case that Rousseau's general will theory holds that authentic collective self-governance emerges from citizens transcending partial opinions toward shared civic unity.
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Reasons For
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Reason for
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1.
The 'general will' is empirically unverifiable and historically invoked to justify authoritarian suppression of dissenting minorities.
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2.
Persistent value pluralism means citizens cannot transcend partial opinions—legitimate governance requires protecting dissent, not unity.
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3.
Forcing individuals into 'shared civic unity' violates autonomy; legitimate law derives from transparent procedures, not unified consciousness.
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Reasons Against
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Reason against
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1.
Democratic legitimacy requires laws reflecting genuine collective will, not mere aggregation of selfish individual preferences.
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2.
Citizens reasoning together toward common good can transcend parochial interests, as evidenced by deliberative democracy outcomes.
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3.
Without shared civic purpose, democracies fragment into faction warfare where no binding consensus can justify collective decisions.
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