Rousseau's famous quote at the beginning of his book The Social Contract is that "all men are born free, but they all wear shackles", but this famous saying is misunderstood by 99% of people, and of course misused by the French themselves.
The correct interpretation of this famous saying is: human beings used to enjoy natural freedom, why did they form communities and use the shackles of laws and regulations to restrain themselves?
Just as the owner is originally free to buy and move in, why should the community be set up as a collective to regulate everyone?Although Rousseau was talking about the community of the state, if we look at the community as a micro-state, the principle is actually the same.
Hobbes believed that human nature is inherently evil, and that people in the state of nature plunder and fight with each other, so it is necessary to form collectives, and individuals transfer power to maintain order;Locke believed that although human nature is good, in the natural state, everyone is a referee, which is very inconvenient, so it is necessary to form a collective and set up an authority to appeal.
Unlike his predecessors, who interpreted the necessity of the collective in terms of security and passivity, Rousseau interpreted it in terms of happiness and positivity, arguing that "the collective can preserve and secure the person and property of each individual with all its common strength, and that each individual in the collective is in fact subject to his own freedom, as before." ”
From the "state of nature" to the "state of society", from individual life to collective life, Rousseau said, "a great change has taken place: justice has replaced instinct." Man's faculties have been tempered and developed, his horizons have been broadened, his feelings have been ennobled, and he has changed from an ignorant and limited animal into an intelligent creature, into a man. ”
In short, Rousseau felt that although people had lost their natural freedom by forming collectives and shackled themselves, they had gained more and "social freedom";Lost "ownership of everything", but gained "ownership of what you own yourself";As a result of the formation of the collective, "it is true that the situation of the individual is much better than the situation of the previous one. ”
Another practical example to confirm Rousseau's thought. Although the Jiangxi High Court later requested a retrial, there is no doubt that if the community did not set up an owners' meeting and an owners' committee, it would be almost impossible for a single owner to win this kind of lawsuit.
It seems that it is very necessary to form collectives, whether they are large countries or small communities, but how should people form them?On what basis will there be no collective representatives, such as the king or the business council, who will in turn infringe on everyone's interests?Rousseau also gave the answer.