ScholarOne - The theological origin of Rousseau's general will

One of the most understated interpretations in the history of political ideas is the influence of theology in the political thought of Jean Jacques Rousseau. This essay responds to this lacuna by advancing the claim that Rousseau's idea of the general will is best understood when one adopts a Christian theological perspective. Here, I argue that this interpretation helps us to understand why his form of democratic representation appears at the same time so closed, sacred, and absolute. As the communion with Christ works in the spiritual world, the mystical identification between the representative and the people, operates in the secular world. Given this conceptual convergence, this work has two primary tasks. First, it reconstructs and develops an explicitly theological origin of the general will. Second, it evaluates the extent to which the general will emulates the doctrine of communion. Finally, I add Rousseau's explicit belief in Christianism as a possible source for his concept of the general will. Taken together, I aim to provide a theological understanding of Rousseau's political thought.