Political Science · Western Political Thought
UGC NET July 2016 Political Science
For Rousseau, which of the following statements is not true?
- 1. Two original instincts, i.e. self-love and sympathy, make up man's nature.
- 2. A thinking man is a depraved animal.
- 3. Family is the only natural society.
- 4. General will not be a group mind.
A1 & 2
B2 & 3
C3 only
D4 only ✓ Correct
Correct answer: (D) 4 only — The statement that is not true of Rousseau is that the general will is not a group mind, so the answer is 4 only.
Explanation
★The statement that is not true of Rousseau is that the general will is not a group mind, so the answer is 4 only.
★For Rousseau the general will is precisely a collective will of the community, aimed at the common good.
★It is more than the sum of individual wills, expressing the citizens as a single moral body.
★His other points are correct: self-love and pity are the two natural instincts, and the family is the first natural society.
★He also held that the reflective, over-civilised man is corrupted, a depraved animal.
★So only the denial that the general will is a collective or group will is false.
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