How does Rousseau conceive the relationship between democracy and freedom? What are the main merits of and problems with his approach?.
Although the Social Contract promises freedom to the members of the state this freedom does not automatically include democracy. Democracy is suggested as a possible form of government alongside aristocracy and monarchy whereas today it is arguable that democracy is seen as the only form which denotes a free people. Freedom could well be defined as "having a say in political decision making" but Rousseau's idea of freedom is from one's own natural desires so it is possible to be a good citizen and lead a more fulfilling life. Rousseau does not believe that man naturally knows what is best for him "the public must be taught to recognise what it desires". He goes further to state that there is right way for society to be run and that this is the "general will", the right course of action which the public would chose to take if they considered what was best for the whole rather than just themselves. Rousseau admits however that to find the general will is not always easy and his critics deny that it even exists. It is also important to consider exactly how much say Rousseau does allow the people as part of the Social Contract and whether it is fair to call the book a licence for tyranny. It is possible to see why democracy is not essential to Rousseau's definition of freedom however it is ultimately questionable whether life in a state formed on the Social Contract would indeed be free.
The Social Contract is explained by Rousseau as an exchange of a man's natural freedom for civil freedom. The natural freedom man is born with is physical freedom, we are free to do whatever pleases us. This is exchanged in the Social Pact for civil freedom. This civil freedom guarantees the safety of person and property from other men but Rousseau is less interested in these aspects of so called negative freedom.
Rousseau's biography is important in the romanticism, it reflect the philosophical ideas of romanticism. ... Rousseau was free to expresses his natural feelings and emotion as a human being. ... Rousseau's ideas reflect the philosophical ideas of romanticism. ... Rousseau udestood it and respect it. ... Rousseau" s ideas reflect philosophical ideas of romanticism. ...
Rousseau Jean Jacques Rousseau was one of the many great minds in the eighteenth and nineteenth century who made many contributions to society. ... I agree totally with this thought of Rousseau. ... Rousseau believed in the "Noble Savage." ... To me, this is where Rousseau contradicts himself. ... I do not agree with some of Rousseau's theories. ...
Who influenced David and Rousseau? ... Without knowledge of Rousseau's own personal history it is hard to appreciate the intensely moralistic character and relevance of Rousseau's political writings. "Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 - 1778) became famous as a "French" political philosopher and educationalist. ... "Rousseau never abandoned the republican ideals of his native city. ... It made it possible for most of Rousseau's social group to take the existence of society for granted". ...
Rousseau explains that human evolution and the increase of inequality between people are interconnected. ... Rousseau tries to imagine people in their once natural state, disregarding the traditional influence of biblical rationalisation. ... Natural Right is based on pity and self- preservation because, for Rousseau they were the most basic impulses that existed. ... Rousseau continues by affirming that the modern moral inequality, between people is unnatural and is not the true nature of humankind. ... Rousseau's explanation of the function of society has various stages. ...
As a result of this blame he takes upon himself, Rousseau develops a deep hatred of himself. ... Rousseau views his birth, and the subsequent death of his mother, as a grave misfortune. ... Rousseau describes his conception as "the unhappy fruit of [his father's] return" (19). His birth is not the celebratory occasion for Rousseau as it is for others. ... Because Rousseau sees Mlle. ...
(pg 12) Passion and feeling, for Rousseau, preceded reason and thought. ... The grounds on which Rousseau's account lie seem to be contradictory. This is a valid concern, Rousseau recognizes this as well and he addresses it in his essay. ... Rousseau, in his essay, brings several notions about language into question. ... Rousseau also discusses how the transmittance of passions through language, alters those passions. ...
One of the first and most important questions Rousseau asks is " How can one know inequality without knowing man?" ... Rousseau's enquiry will not deal with historical truths, but with hypothetical and conditional reasoning. ... From his picture of a savage man Rousseau derives the two basic principles of his Discourse: pity and self-preservation. ... According to Rousseau, early society was the happiest epoch. ... Rousseau measures a society by how much freedom it manages to deliver its citizens. ...
