Book 4, Part 1 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 1, "That the General Will Cannot Be Destroyed"

The author states in this chapter that as long as the people create and define their government according to the pure Sovereign Will, their state and nation will prosper and run peacefully. He also asserts, however, that once private, individual will and interest begin to dominate the decision making process of government, what is called or perceived as the Sovereign Will becomes an illusion. Laws become false, the social bond becomes empty, and "the sacred name of public good is [used] to cover the basest interest." He goes on to write that under such circumstances the Sovereign Will is not gone, but has been made subordinate, and individuals are merely evading it.

Chapter 2, "Of Suffrage"

The author declares here that in a government or an assembly, the greater the majority of...