By analysing Rousseau's conception of the general will, Zev Trachtenberg characterises the attitude of civic virtue Rousseau believes individuals must have to cooperate successfully in society. Rousseau holds that culture affects political life by either fostering or discouraging civic virtue. However, while the cultural institutions Rousseau endorses would motivate citizens to obey the law, they would not prepare citizens to help frame it. Rousseau's view of culture thus works against his account of legitimacy, and Trachtenberg concludes that Rousseau's political theory as a whole is inconsistent.

Rousseau's theory of the effect of culture on politics is central to his philosophical understanding of society. Zev Trachtenberg explores this connection, taking Rousseau's theory to be a model of how consideration of culture can be incorporated into a wider account of political life. Trachtenberg begins with an interpretation of Rousseau's concept of the general will. His analysis identifies attitudes individuals can adopt that facilitate or impede social co-operation - attitudes Rousseau holds are culturally formed. He then takes up Rousseau's account of the evolution of human psychology, which can bring about either the actual political failure of existing society, or the possible political success of an ideal society Rousseau imagines. The culture of existing society exacerbates individuals' self-interest, leading to failures in collective action. But the culture of ideal society instills civic virtue, which motivates individuals to co-operate with one another. Trachtenberg concludes with the criticism that Rousseau's cultural ideal conflicts with his account of legitimacy. Legitimacy requires that citizens have the cognitive skills needed to formulate the general will.