The Legislator, Political Space and National Culture: Rousseau on Political Creativity
Author: Carl K. Y. Shaw
Abstract / Chinese PDF Download
This article attempts to demonstrate the dualistic orientation of Rousseau’s political theory. On the one hand, Rousseau develops a theory of political order wherein he constructs a democratic-republican legitimacy as the only viable principle for modernity. On the other hand, he embraces a theory of political creativity wherein the extraordinary virtue and statecraft of ‘the great legislator’ lay down the cultural foundation of the modern political order. However, there is a conflict between the egalitarianism and elitism, respectively, in these two theoretical orientations. I argue that Rousseau’s theories of national culture and ‘the great legislator’ are formulated when he begins to articulate the ‘realization’ of the principles of political rights. In this vein, he synthesizes the theme of classical republicanism — “how free institutions are created and maintained” — with the modern philosophy of will. In this way, the modern ideas of revolution and radical democracy are made possible. I also elaborate on the contemporary relevance of Rousseau’s theory of political creativity by comparing it with the views of Hannah Arendt.