How is Rousseau’s general will different from the sum of individual wishes?

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English philosopher Thomas Hobbes — social contract Thomas Hobbes, detail of an oil painting by John Michael Wright; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.

In the political philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the general will is fundamentally distinct from the mere sum of individual wishes, which he characterizes as the "will of all."

While the "will of all" represents the aggregate of private, often contradictory interests held by individuals or specific groups, the general will is exclusively directed toward the common good and the collective interest of the republic.1

Key differences include:

Orientation: Individual wishes are driven by personal or factional interests. In contrast, the general will emerges when citizens set aside these private passions to reflect upon their sense of justice and the welfare of the political community as a whole.1
Method of Discovery: Rousseau argued that the general will is disclosed when individuals act in the "silence of the passions," following their conscience as citizens rather than debating as private actors.1
Legitimacy: Because the general will aims at justice, it is considered intrinsically right. Laws are only legitimate when they express this general will, whereas a simple majority of individual wishes does not necessarily equate to a just or legitimate outcome.1