Jean – Jacques RousseauEssay title: Jean – Jacques RousseauJean- Jacques Rousseaus work, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality expressed his strong concerns with personal freedom and the limitations society imposes on ones ability to live in a true state of nature. Rousseau acknowledged the limited freedoms of a “civil society” as dependent on the personal freedoms of others. However, Rousseau envisioned humans in their natural state, the state of nature. It is in this state that one is controlled purely by natural impulses as opposed to the learned behavior conditioned by society. This is perhaps why Rousseau displayed such contempt for 18th century France. It was during this European age of reason that people were groomed into model citizens, high education, fashion, politics, etc. Rousseau did not fit, or even desired to fit, the mold.
Rousseau’s writings have become an inspiration and a source of insight and inspiration. He was the intellectual and cultural hero of Rousseau’s life. He lived a fulfilling, and productive, life, inspiring others. His ideas and philosophy influenced and influenced many people when he was alive, when he was writing his “Essay On Individual Human Freedom” and his book “The Origin and Development Of The Modern Sociology Of Individual Power” or “On Human Power and Its Application In The Public Interest of Democracy”. He and his writings influence the cultural, national, political, economic, cultural and religious life of human societies as a whole.
Rousseau’s work is a formative for us all.
There are, however, two common aspects of Rousseau’s writings and their impact: their relationship to history and the present time. The first part of his History of Science and History is a very important source of reference. Its first published work is a work of history. It has a very extensive treatment of many of Rousseau’s primary and secondary scientific and spiritual works. This is followed by a series of essays from his third century works which deal with the development of man from the ancient first man, to the present day with his new ideas. This series comprises, of its six chapters on Rousseau’s Early Writings, three on his fourth century writings, five on his seventeenth century works and a third on his eighth century writings which we will explore later on. The third part, particularly the series below, are important for those interested with the modern world and its various developments and developments that Rousseau was talking about. On the other hand, the remaining nine chapters of the book are a lot more limited in scope. The main focus is not on historical study but on issues of modernity. The major problems Rousseau discussed for the early seventeenth century were. The first of these concerns the growth of the power of kings and princes, that of the British Empire, and the progress that the empire could make in the history of human history. The importance of history over the past is more evident in this section of the book. This section has a history of history, of history from a political point of view, and a political and cultural viewpoint. The second aspect of the work is the relation between Rousseau’s writings and his life. Rousseau had a great deal to say about politics and the public world. His writings had an impact on human society, for example in the fact that they contributed toward the development and establishment of social institutions, schools etc. His writing changed the dynamics of what society was. The second section of the book takes the first third of the book to a point in Rousseau’s life where the two relate. This section, to be most appreciated, makes reference to Rousseau’s life in his early works. The primary focus of his writings as a French philosopher is the theory of social power and his writings as a moral philosopher. He has done much to help people understand the nature of power and how it can vary according to the circumstances of the country in which he lived. His writings have been very influential in social and moral philosophy and his work on the ethics of the moral system has been well placed within this context.
The third chapter brings to an end the discussion of Rousseau’s early writings. The book begins with a brief discussion of Rousseau’s life. It
Rousseau was an idealist. He imagined people free in the state of nature. He painted a hypothetical scene of natural man who was not bound by the rules of society. Unlike his contemporaries, Rousseau considered the transition from natural man to civilized man a regression. Rousseau did not hold civil society in high regard along with the noble class of France. Actually, the poor of France, to Rousseau, were possibly the closest to the state of nature because they were more concerned with surviving than maintaining an image imposed by society. They did not waste time concerning themselves with the artificial; however, they labored in order to stay alive.
Rousseau compared the natural state to childhood. It is during childhood that one does not associate himself with anyone or anything around him. He is totally absorbed in himself and is guilt- free because other people are of no consequence. Just like childhood, the state of nature is pure and simple. The only thing that matters to a child is fulfilling his needs. In the state of nature, mans only concern is to himself. On the other hand, civil society is compared to adulthood. In adulthood and civil society, life is about work, attempting to conform with others, and guilt runs ramped. This is why Rousseau dreamed of a return to the state of nature, a return to the Garden of Eden namely Genesis. He associated natural with the divine. Rousseau is considered the father of romanticism. He believed that humans feel more than think so therefore feelings should dominate. Romanticism placed a large emphasis on feelings and Rousseau was integral to its development.
“Of all the branches of human knowledge, the most useful and the least advanced seems to me to be that of man.” (Rousseau, 10) Rousseau observed the ignorance of his fellow men by noting their lack of knowledge of their true state. Man is completely unaware of his origin and how he was derived from nature. Rousseau questioned how man could even attempt to comprehend the inequality among his peers if he did not even understand his succession from a primitive state. It seems logical. If man does not understand himself, his origins and how he has derived from nature then how can he perceive any other branch of knowledge.
Rousseau considered the inscription at the temple at Delphi “a precept more important and more difficult than all the huge tomes of the moralists.”(Rousseau, 10) The inscription at the temple read “Know Thy Self.” This statement, although short and simple, reached all depths of philosophy. Rousseau theorized that these three simple words fully explained the quest for self- knowledge better than the feeble attempts of hundreds of philosophers throughout history. This statement is the foundation of knowledge; beginning with the self. In ancient Greece, the temple at Delphi served as a haven for those searching for answers to lifes most baffling questions. For centuries the temple was considered the center of the known world where heaven and earth met. Here, Zeus son Apollo was worshipped along with countless Greek deities. The oracle, Pythia, resided at this temple. The ancients flocked to Pythia who was rumored to possess the ability to channel the spirit of the gods to answer and explain critical matters to mortals. It is fitting, considering Rousseaus high regard for the natural state and the divine, that he used this simple statement to introduce his work. The temple at Delphi symbolized the earthly embodiment of the divine. Even when people traversed thousands of miles on a quest for knowledge, they were all greeted with the simple statement, “Know Thy Self.”
Rousseau attempted to explain his theories on the state of nature and the effects of civil society by using the metaphor of the state of Glaucus from book X of Platos Republic. The state of Glaucus was once a beautiful sculptor portraying a blemish- free man. One day the state toppled into the sea and when it was recovered, it was corroded and covered with barnacles. The sea had taken a toll on this once pure statue. Rousseau