Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s assertion that a nation ceases to be free and, in effect, ceases to exist upon the appointment of representatives presents a profound and provocative challenge to conventional understandings of popular sovereignty and representative governance. This claim, most famously articulated in The Social Contract, confronts the foundational premises of modern liberal democracy, which typically … Continue reading How does Rousseau’s assertion that a nation ceases to be free and effectively ceases to exist upon the appointment of representatives challenge conventional understandings of popular sovereignty and representative governance in political theory?