... and everywhere he is in chains' (Rousseau: Cress (ed.) 1987, bk1, ch.1, p.141). He explains that when an individual decides to follow the general will, to abide by the laws established by the state, he is agreeing to act in accordance with the social contract and remain free and self-governing. In a society governed by the general will, cooperation for the good of the populace goes hand in hand with the freedom of each citizen. Rousseau envisaged society being united by the use of the general will. He argued that the general will would be in the best interest of the society as a whole; a person had to be guided away from their own desires, known as particular will, to what is best for the interests of the entire group. An individual does not have to adopt the general will for every decision - only on important matters that ...

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