Jean Jacques RousseauSome Major Works:

Discourse on the Arts and Sciences

Discourse on the Origin of Inequality Among Man

Emile, or On Education The Social Contract

Discourse on the Arts and Sciences

Criticizes education: not progressing us to anything good

Education just makes us deceive ourselves and others – we try to fit in

Leads to individuality, makes us self interested consumers

Teaches us ‘reason’ Puts flowers on our chains –

just hiding inequality

Where ever science and math flourished, luxury and leisure flourish

They are born from our vices, and do nothing to improve the moral well being of society

Don’t contribute anything to love of country, friends, or the unfortunate

Science does not give any guidance for making people more virtuous citizens

We learn to hate ourselves because the masks we have to wear

To cope, we hate the people below us

Science is based on a sense of a need for luxury

Science becomes a means for making our lives easier and more pleasurable, not morally better

Bacon and Descartes avoided this corruption

Discourse on the Origin of Inequality Among Man He creates his own state of

nature Humans physically strong, but

simple, very independent Hobbes had it wrong, he tried to

create the state of nature without stripping what humans have learned

All he did was strip laws For us to understand the state

of nature, there can be no laws, property, understanding of threat, minimal language skills

Natural man is isolated, timid, peaceful, mute and without the foresight to worry

Humans have two principles – self interest, and empathy...But we have reason

We have adaptability – leads to progress i.e. fire Humans forced to settle down, but roughly equal Series of events move us from the ‘noble

savage’ Organize into temporary groups – hunting Very basic language Next is small families based on love If we stayed here, there would be no inequality

But, agriculture and metallurgy change this Crucial point develops – we start to make

comparisons to others –develop self image and things become valuable

Division of labour, distinct social classes, workers, rulers: leads to invention of private property

Unnatural, but education teaches us its legit Some people left out of property grab – see it as

illegitimate Great Deception – rich convince the poor private

property needs to be protected All accepted their chains

The Social Contract Discussion on Government and

Rights of the People 1st step – make us all equal : give up

the ‘natural right’ to property Help us to distinguish between needs

and wants, help us to resurrect empathy

Everyone has enough so they don’t have to sell ourselves

When we see each other as equals, we are able to see one another as citizens

We’ll look forward to what people say

Outlines how governments could exist to protect equality of citizens

Concept of general will – difficult to interpret: based on the well being of the whole, protects the rights of all individuals

Protected by a sovereign, protects the public good

Not the collection of individual wills Ultimately my will, and general will merges Example – majority- collection of individual

wills If you have: lack of prosperity, no population

growth, legislative body silent, disparity, religious faction – no social contract

If the one is being sacrificed by the many – no social contract