O dialektyce dwóch koncepcji władzy w pismach Jana Jakuba Rousseau

Abstract

Author of the arcitle discusses the dualism of concepts of authority present in Rousseau’s writings. The reason of such situation is the wide spectrum of possible interpretions of the place and role played by the concept of general will in the philosophical heritige of the Genevian thinker. There are at least three ways of understanding the concept. The first, metaphysical, suggests that the community is a being ontologicaly autonomous from its participants. The second, legaly‑political, defines volonté générale as a particular form of the political order, i.e. the one, which by including everyone into legislative process, automatically refrains them from seeking privileges. The third interpretation, ethical, while turning attention to the citizens’ moral disposition, requires full identification of their personal interests with the common good. The two last modes of understanding the general will are fully responsible for the duality of the popular estimations of Rousseau’s political thought. The vision of community resulting from the acceptance of legaly‑political interpretation, embodies the perfect democracy, which author may be seen as a father of the democratic liberalism. Ethical version of volonté générale results with an ideal of classical πόλις, which nowadays inevitably forces unpleasant associations with totalitarian regimes.