In the Discourse on Political Economy, Jean-Jacques Rousseau describes his ideal administrative power: a representative democracy, one that many argue unfeasible in light of his initial perception of man and society, as told in Discourse on Inequality. However, close examination of the foundation of Rousseau's government, that is, virtue, provides a logical extension of his concept of man's inherent goodness, as discussed in the latter work.
In the Discourse on Political Economy, Rousseau establishes that government is “for the common good of the entire [state]” (Political Economy, 3), instituted as the head to a body of general will,“which tends to the preservation and the well-being of the whole and of each part”. This unity of will is
In the Discourse on Political Economy, Rousseau establishes that government is “for the common good of the entire [state]” (Political Economy, 3), instituted as the head to a body of general will,“which tends to the preservation and the well-being of the whole and of each part”. This unity of will is