49

Rousseau, against the mainstream thought of his time, affirmed the existence of a res publica, a public good irreducible to the juxtaposition of private interests. Therefore, his economic thought resisted the idea that economy could only be scientific if it was emancipated from politics. He dismantled the illusion, stating that in existing societies the social division of work would only create winners. His proposals for economic politics were intended to enable collaboration from which all agents would benefit according to their real contribution. He also intended to promote a taste of wealth other than the one derived from the development of production and trade: the moral satisfaction derived from contributing to the public good.