Political Science · Political Theory
For Rousseau, which of the following statements is NOT true? Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
- 1. Two original instincts, that is 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 is not a group mind.
A1 and 2
B2 and 3
C3 only
D4 only ✓ Correct
Correct answer: (D) 4 only — The untrue statement is 4, so the answer is 4 only.
Explanation
★The untrue statement is 4, so the answer is 4 only.
★For Rousseau the general will is more than a sum of private wills; it expresses a collective moral self.
★To say it is not a group mind misreads him, since the general will aims at the common good of the whole.
★He did hold that self-love (amour de soi) and sympathy or pity are the two original instincts of man.
★His famous paradox that a thinking man is a depraved animal reflects his critique of civilisation.
★He also treated the family as the first and only natural society, the model of the bond between rulers and ruled.
★Thus statements 1, 2 and 3 are true to Rousseau, while statement 4 alone misstates his view of the general will.
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