Particular Will Concept

A Particular Will Concept is a collective political concept that represents the specific interests of individuals or factions rather than the common good.

• AKA: Particular Will, Private Will, Factional Will, Special Interest, Partial Will.
• Context:
  • It can typically express self-interested preference]]s of persons or groups within political community.
  • It can typically conflict with general will concept when pursuing private advantage over public benefit.
  • It can typically manifest through interest groups, political factions, and lobby organizations.
  • It can often corrupt democratic processes through rent-seeking and regulatory capture.
  • It can often justify itself through ideological claims while serving material interests.
  • It can often aggregate into majority will without transforming into general will.
  • It can range from being an Individual Particular Will Concept to being a Group Particular Will Concept, depending on its agent scope.
  • It can range from being a Conscious Particular Will Concept to being an Unconscious Particular Will Concept, depending on its awareness level.
  • It can range from being a Legitimate Particular Will Concept to being an Illegitimate Particular Will Concept, depending on its moral status.
  • It can range from being a Harmless Particular Will Concept to being a Destructive Particular Will Concept, depending on its social impact.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Economic Particular Wills, such as:
    • Corporate Interest seeking profit maximization over public welfare.
    • Trade Union Interest pursuing member benefits regardless of economic impact.
    • Landlord Interest maintaining property values through exclusionary zoning.
  • Political Particular Wills, such as:
    • Party Interest prioritizing electoral victory over policy coherence.
    • Bureaucratic Interest expanding agency power beyond public need.
    • Regional Interest securing local advantage against national interest.
  • Social Particular Wills, such as:
    • Class Interest preserving social privilege through institutional barriers.
    • Ethnic Interest claiming group preferences over equal treatment.
    • Religious Interest imposing sectarian values on plural society.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • General Will Concept, which expresses common interest of entire political community.
  • Public Interest, which serves collective welfare rather than private gain.
  • Universal Will, which transcends all particular divisions.
• See: Collective Political Concept, General Will Concept, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Interest Group Politics, Public Choice Theory, Faction, Madison's Federalist No. 10, Rent-Seeking Behavior, Regulatory Capture, Collective Action Problem.

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