Rousseauian Freedom in the Technological Age Peyton Marrone Technology is a modern instrument that hinders the civil discourse necessary to realize the general will, ultimately fueling political polarization and placing the sovereign in a condition of vulnerability and dependence. The internet and social platforms redefine procedures for civic engagement, which directly destroy the virtuous means both agree upon to practice the common good. Though the internet provides a range of knowledge, it lacks depth of knowledge. Citizenship requires a community that is not disconnected, where all participate in the general will. In the modern online sphere, the internet prevents productive discussion when outsiders around the globe involve themselves in affairs that do not pertain to themselves. Not only is external influence harmful, but a nation’s internal vices of self-interest, greed, and infotainment fuel toxic bipartisanship. Reflecting on the words of the enlightened political thinker Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who similarly wrote during periods of political turmoil, hatred, and confusion, can help to diminish polarization and amplify collaboration to strive for goodness. Rousseau was a Swiss philosopher in the eighteenth century who introduced the concept of the general will. This is a shared will that aims at the common interest of a well-informed, reasonable, and unbiased body. A society driven by the common good is one where each person is conscious about his or her impact on the community. The sovereign, a collective representation of the people, can exercise its freedom as the author of the law.1 In other words, Rousseau articulates how “[n]o one is unjust to himself”; thus, the general will is legitimate because it was realized by the people.2 The general will is not the will of the majority or minority, but alternatively, it is ultimate goodness and wisdom that unifies society. Rousseau acknowledges that the general will is always right and renders private wills illegitimate. Social platforms advertise celebrities and their personal lives, generating a culture where social inequality is celebrated and diverts the public from the general will. Celebrities and mainstream media portray inequality, which is harmful when acquiring Jean-Jacques Rousseau, “On the Social Contract,” in The Basic Political Writings: Second Edition, ed. Donald A. Cress (Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company Inc., 2011), 180. 2 Ibid., 179. 1
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