The concept of public opinion in Rousseau

From the corruption of the individual to the transparency of the political body

Abstract

The objective of this article is to discuss how the concept of "public opinion", which occupies a prominent place in Rousseau’s thought, is evaluated by the Genevan philosopher. For this, we will show how the notion of public opinion evolves in the author’s work, first in a negative sense, as a factor of corruption and alienation of the individual, to become, later, as a stabilizing source of the customs and traditions of a people and as a powerful instrument of social and political control, in order to guarantee the health and transparency of the political body.