... state" What comprises this 'general will' on which Rousseau bases his quest for the 'Principles of political right'? The general will can be seen as distinct from a sum of coinciding private interests. This does not however mean that the general will is not in the interest of each individual. It is, in so far as "It is not the interests of others that we are to follow but rather the interests of all, all includes us."(Hall an introduction to Rousseau p.73) This is where Rousseau's common interest comes into the argument. The common interest consists of those interests held by individuals which are in the interest of the public body as a whole, or put another way, what is best for the individual in his/her role as a citizen and therefore an indivisible part of the sovereign body - what is best for all. This is not to say ...

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