Democracy in Jean-Jacques Rousseau's republicanism

Abstract

Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s The Social Contract (1762) holds a prominent place among the classics of political philosophy. Among the books that make up this work, Book Three stands out, in which the Genevan philosopher focuses on the nature of government in general and its possible forms. Among these, the treatment of “democracy” is particularly noteworthy due to the emphasis on the difficulties, obstacles, and challenges associated with this form of government. Later, in 1765, invited to draft a constitutional project for the island of Corsica, Rousseau presented a Draft Constitution in which “democracy” returns as the object of his reflection, though now in a practical context. Considering the presence of the issue of “democracy” in these works, the objective of this article is to present an analysis of a probable evolution of the notion of “democracy” in Rousseau’s republicanism, and thus demonstrate a link between theory and practice in his thought. This will be achieved through a correlation between two distinct moments in Rousseau’s philosophy: the first, in the theoretical realm, in The Social Contract, where “democracy” is understood as “a government for the gods alone,” and the second, in the practical realm, in the Draft Constitution for Corsica, where “democracy” is discussed again and is then considered a possible democratic government.