... itself describes the wants and desires of an individual. Rousseau's uses the word in both the personal and group context, the former being the 'private will'. The individual is, by definition, biased in his views. They relate to his own experiences and fore mostly regard his own interests. The private will must be seen as relating to the common conception that the individual thinks about himself first, and the rest of society afterwards. It is likely that the private will does not represent a good course of action for the many, due to its selfish and indulgent nature. Indeed, if the private will is forced upon a society by an individual in authority (ignoring how this authority would come to be), it can be seen as going against the general will - an individuals unique desires being forced on the masses, an action being undertaken that is not in the ...

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