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Rousseau and The Revolt Against Reason

Rousseau believed that humans were originally good in a state of nature but became corrupted by society. He argued people formed a social contract to establish a democratic republic that protects individual freedom through the general will of the people. However, some questions remain about how Rousseau reconciles individual freedom with absolute sovereignty of the state and whether the family can truly be subordinate to the republic.

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225 views

Rousseau and The Revolt Against Reason

Rousseau believed that humans were originally good in a state of nature but became corrupted by society. He argued people formed a social contract to establish a democratic republic that protects individual freedom through the general will of the people. However, some questions remain about how Rousseau reconciles individual freedom with absolute sovereignty of the state and whether the family can truly be subordinate to the republic.

Uploaded by

Dannai
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Rousseau and the Revolt Against Reason: Readings and Study Questions

Assignment: The Search for Lost Innocence - Rousseau as Primitivist Readings: Rousseau, Discourse on the Origins of Inequality, entire. Pay particular attention to notes i, 1 & s Okin, Women in Western Political Thought, pp. !1"" Rousseau, #mile, ch. $, %&ophie% 'class han(out) Assignment: The Fundamental Compact Readings: Rousseau, The &ocial *ontract, +ooks I!II Assignment: Rousseau and the Idealization of the State Readings: Rousseau, The &ocial *ontract, +ooks III!I$ ST !" # $STI%&S 1.) *ompare Rousseau,s (epiction of the state of nature -ith those of .o//es an( 0ocke. What are the essential an( original traits of natural man1 2) 3i4en his positi4e 4ie- of our original natures, ho- (oes Rousseau account for the (e4elopment of a corrupt, morally (e/ase( society1 Does he seek to lea( us /ack to our primiti4e origins, or (oes he en4ision other solutions to the pro/lem of man against society1 #5plain your ans-er. 6) We kno- from the Discourse on the Origins of Inequality that -omen in the state of nature are as in(epen(ent as men. 7et Rousseau also claims that -omen are naturally place( un(er the rule of men. '&ophie han(out) Is Rousseau appealing to t-o (istinct an( contra(ictory i(eas of %nature% here1 8) What is the %general -ill1% .o- is it (istinguishe( from the %-ill of all%1 Is this a useful /asis for a political theory1 9) :lthough the general -ill cannot /e corrupte(, the ma;ority can /e misle( in its interpretation of that -ill. Is Rousseau,s solution to this pro/lem ! the 0a-gi4er ! as para(o5ical a creature as Plato<s philosopher king=queen1 ") .o- (oes Rousseau (efine so4ereignty1 Where (oes so4ereignty lie in his state1 Is his un(erstan(ing of so4ereignty meaningfully (ifferent from 0ocke,s1 >) Rousseau o-es many of his i(eas regar(ing so4ereignty, e.g., that it is a/solute an( in(i4isi/le, to Thomas .o//es. *an he 'Rousseau) reconcile the free(om of the in(i4i(ual -ith such notions1 Is so4ereignty limite( in any -ay1 ?) What are the rights of in(i4i(uals in Rousseau,s state of nature1 What happens to these rights -hen in(i4i(uals associate themsel4es in the social contract1 ) What is the significance of separating the social pact %/y -hich people /ecome a people% from the acts -hich esta/lish their la-s an( their go4ernment1 1@) .o- (oes Rousseau (efine la-1 What (istinct types of la- are enumerate( in The &ocial *ontract1 11) Does Rousseau offer a single, self!consistent 4ie- of human free(om in The &ocial *ontract1 12) .o- (oes Rousseau 4ie- the separation of church an( state1 Is it para(o5ical that one so concerne( -ith the (e4elopment of 4irtue an( the preser4ation of moral free(om shoul( consi(er %true *hristians% poor citiAens1 *ompare his i(eal ci4ic religion -ith Bachia4elli,s. 'Discourses +ook I, ch. 12) 16) What sort of relationships shoul( e5ist among male citiAens in Rousseau,s i(eal (emocratic state1 .o- are those relations (ifferent from those -hich shoul( e5ist /et-een hus/an( an( -ife1 .o- can the family form %a natural /ase on -hich to form con4entional ties% 'i.e., the ties of the social contract) -hen it is or(ere( so (ifferently from the i(eal state1 .as Rousseau ensure( that the family -ill function as an a(;unct to the state, an( not as a competing focus for in(i4i(uals, loyalties an( allegiance1 18) In +ook I, ch. " of The &ocial *ontract Rousseau argues that the articles of association -hich form the social contract amount to %the total alienation /y each associate of himself an( his rights to the -hole community%. The political state -hich emerges from this community shoul( /e so constitute( %that each

citiAen shall /e at the same time perfectly in(epen(ent of all his fello- citiAens an( e5cessi4ely (epen(ent upon the repu/lic...it is the po-er of the state alone -hich makes the free(om of its mem/ers.% 3i4en Rousseau,s i(ea of free(om 'question ?), (oes this social an( political prescription pro4i(e an a(equate safeguar( for in(i4i(ual li/erty1 #5plain your ans-er. 19) *an one fairly state that Rousseau seeks to restore the ancient polis community, or is his political theory stri4ing to-ar( a (ifferent goal1

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