Il Nesso tra libertà e volontà generale nelcontratto socialedi Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The essay concerns the relationship between two concepts that are fundamental in the thought of Rousseau: liberty and general will. The purpose of the analysis is to demonstrate that general will means, essentially,principle of reciprocity: this principle is strongly related with the concept of “public reason”, which is of central importance in thepolitical liberalismof John Rawls. Peraphs we need to re-think the ancient idea that suggests a democratic but not a liberal interpretation of Rousseau’s thought; and it could be the case that his theoric work finds a place even in the contemporary liberal thought.