He believed that this could be accomplished through each individual giving up his or her right to control their life in exchange for a voice in the establishment of societal rules; appealing to those who listened to surrender their individual rights to a collective body with a singular purpose. He states that this person formed by such a social contract holds in him the general will, knowledge of the interests of everyone wants whether they realize it or not. Rousseau's idea of the general will is related to the concept of the republic as not just a real entity but one that is in fact more indicative of the values of human nature than the individuals who reside in it. According to Rousseau, what matters is the whole. .
The individual and their values, ideals and goals are insignificant. This is in direct conflict with Rawls's qualifications for a fair society as he writes, "the primary social goods, to give them in broad categories, are rights, liberties, and opportunities, and income and wealth." Immediately adding, "A very important primary good is a sense of one's own worth. (Rawls, 79) People's condition is effectively measured by their primary social goods holdings and we must decide if people are being treated fairly bases on their access to those goods. In a way it is as if Rousseau advocates for the stripping of all individuality and drive for self-betterment that doesn't immediately effect the group to force society to act on the good he says is inherently there. .
Rousseau's utopian society is one that revolves around a mindset of group benefit fostered by using force and the "general will" to take from individuals any sense of choice or individual worth. In the same light, Rawls would find Rousseau's views on the ownership of private property to be unfair as Rousseau believed that private ownership of property tended to corrupt men and destroy their character.
