A “Arte Aperfeiçoada” da política e os “Homens como eles são”: contradição no homem e o conflito entre vontade particular e vontade geral em J.-J. Rousseau

Abstract

The contact with Rousseau’s work allows us to observe the constant tension between the ideal level, the “principles of political right”, and the reality, the subject of “men as they are”. Approaching the theme of conflict between private and general will implicates on the attempt of explaining the effective reach of the correlations resulted of its anthropological conception to its political philosophy, without missing the necessary passage between normativity and factuality. It is, therefore, about analyzing the resulting correlations of Rousseau’s dualist anthropology in the context of his political philosophy, in particular to solve conflicts between private and general will. For this analysis, we sought to reconstruct Rousseau’s argumentative path, pointing the resulting developments of his conception of human nature for the resolution of conflict and the effectuation of the Republic. With this research, we intend to demonstrate that taking his “men as they are” political philosophy as the starting point, and presenting a dualist conception of human nature, “the man is not a simple being”, Rousseau could not have reached another result if not the one of a real possibility, but described by its provisory character. The conflicts between private and general will, cause of social disorder, have their origin in the difficulty real men have of overcoming contradiction, in other words, of internally harmonizing the “natural inclinations”, with “civil duties”, the voice of passions that counters reason and conscience. In this context, the own finitude of the State emerges, as a work of art, considering the effectuation of the Republic’s ideal and the virtuous citizen, capable of submitting themselves out of free will and rationality to the general will, resulting from the historical and contextual individual interests, always assuming the real diversity field, the weakness and imperfection of human nature.