Rousseau Definition Of Freedom Essay

Through many centuries of universal changes in the political systems over the course of human history and humanity are developing the meaning of freedom. However, the meaning of freedom is subject to change due to the political changes of each era. For example a definition of freedom in the Roman Empire differs from the meaning of freedom in the middle ages developed in the renaissance. Despite the difference in the meaning of freedom from one age to another, there are also similarities in common. To begin discussing freedom, it has to be defined according to different philosophical views. According to the dictionaries and thesauruses freedom has a lot of meanings such as; the power or right to act or behave, speak, or think as one wants without

On the other hand, Moral liberation would thus be realized if each individual has himself/herself willed the laws of his/her polity. This might be achieved through the general will – the primary and central concept of Rousseau’s philosophy. Just as a single person plays many different roles in life, and has a different set of intrigues with reverence to each role, he similarly can have a distinct will corresponding to these different roles and intrigues. Rousseau identifies our general will as that which we will in our role as a denizen, according to the mundane intrigues of our society. This is both a component of each individual’s own will, and yet shared by every other member of the society, since the intrigues in question are prevalent to them all. Any law enacted according to this general will, will thus be a law prescribed by each individual 's will. So, the argument goes, to constrain a person to follow the law, can be understood as coercing him to be free (Chappell,