ABSTRACT
A corporate will exists in all societies J. J. Rousseau is in no doubt; from the mere fact that a number of men organize themselves into one body for any purpose, it follows that the organization has but one will: the preservation and welfare of the group and, through that, the well-being of every member. This being so in the case of small associations, it must follow that such a will exists in the body politic or State. With the growth of inequality, the body politic degenerates; unity and patriotism, devotion to corporate aims and purposes decrease; selfish, individual and particular interests come to occupy the minds of citizens to the exclusion of the general interest in varying degrees. The General Will ceases to be the will of all and in the endless debates and disputes that accompany the decline from equality and simplicity it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish it.
