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How does Rousseau conceive the relationship between democracy and freedom? What are the main merits of and problems with his approach? Although the Social Contract promises freedom to the members of the state this freedom does not automatically include democracy. Democracy is suggested as a possible form of government alongside aristocracy and monarchy whereas today it is arguable that democracy is seen as the only form which denotes a free people. Freedom could well be defined as ‘having a say in political decision making’ but Rousseau’s idea of freedom is from one’s own natural desires so it is possible to be a good citizen and lead a more fulfilling life. Rousseau does not believe that man naturally knows what is best for him ‘the public must be taught to recognise what it desires’. He goes further to state that there is right way for society to be run and that this is the ‘general will’, the right course of action which the public would chose to take if they considered what was best for the whole rather than just themselves. Rousseau admits however that to find the general will is not always easy and his critics deny that it even exists. It is also important to consider exactly how much say Rousseau does a