Patrick Riley traces the forgotten roots of Rousseau s concept to seventeenth century questions about the justice of God If He wills that all men be saved does He have a general will that produces universal salvation And if He does not why does He will particularly that some men be damned The theological origin of the general will was important to Rousseau himself He uses the language of divinity bequeathed to him by Pascal Malebranche Fenelon and others to dignify to elevate and to save politics Originally published in 1986 The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print on demand technology to again make available previously out of print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905