Rousseau, democracy, and his ideological intentions: Conceptual arrangements as political devices

Abstract

This article brings to the fore and examines Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s inconsistencies when using the word ‘democracy’ in relation to ‘monarchy’ and ‘republic’. It argues that these are not the result of a mere lack of ability, or a change of beliefs in the fundamental, but of his political intentions and of his creation of a conceptual arrangement that best promotes those. A systematic approach to his main writings will show evidence indicating that Rousseau instrumentally modified his taxonomy of regimes in order to develop a republican language or ideology. This conceptual arrangement was meant to play a key role in the institution of popular sovereignty as the only legitimate form of state, and included Rousseau’s prudential intuitions about political freedom and its preservation. The article also differentiates the contradictory intentions at work behind Rousseau’s words, and outlines the main contextual factors that may have influenced his resorting to this rhetorical strategy.