The General Will before Rousseau: The Transformation of the Divine into the Civic (Princeton Legacy Library) - Hardcover

Riley, Patrick

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0691077207 ISBN 13: 9780691077208

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 1986

Synopsis

Patrick Riley traces the forgotten roots of Rousseau's concept to seventeenth-century questions about the justice of God. If He wills that all men be saved, does He have a general will that produces universal salvation? And, if He does not, why does He will particularly" that some men be damned? The theological origin of the "general will" was important to Rousseau himself. He uses the language of divinity bequeathed to him by Pascal, Malebranche, Fenelon, and others to dignify, to elevate, and to "save" politics.

Originally published in 1986.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

About this title

From the Back Cover

"This is a remarkable book--a learned, lucid, and original study of the gradual transformation of a concept that derives much of its force from its until now forgotten origins. No one has ever told this story before."--Judith N. Shklar, Harvard University

From the Inside Flap

"This is a remarkable book--a learned, lucid, and original study of the gradual transformation of a concept that derives much of its force from its until now forgotten origins. No one has ever told this story before."--Judith N. Shklar, Harvard University

Edition details

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 1986
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691077207
• ISBN 13: 9780691077208
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 290