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Questions tagged [rousseau]

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778) was a Genevan philosopher.

The following are some sources for information about Rousseau.

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What were the "paradoxes of Rousseau"?

John Stuart Mill (1859, On Liberty): Thus, in the eighteenth century, when nearly all the instructed, and all those of the uninstructed who were led by them, were lost in admiration of what is called civilization, and of the marvels of modern…
user46976
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Does the history of modern Europe bear out Rousseau' assertion that the rule of the many cannot follow that of the few?

Rousseau writes, in Book 3, section 10 of the Contract (The abuse of government and its propensity to degenerate): There are two general courses by which government degenerates: i.e., when it undergoes contraction, or when the State is…
Mozibur Ullah
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Rousseau and civil society

How does Rousseau account for the emergence of civil society?--what is the change, or more precisely, the transformation of material relations, that accounts for the founding of society in a robust sense (i.e., civil society)?
user14481
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What major innovations in social contract theory did Rousseau make compared to that of Plato's Crito?

In Plato's dialogue, Crito, where Socrates is urged by Crito to flee before he is executed, Socrates refuses and outlines a theory of social contact between a citizen and the city. I had understood social contact theory to have begun with Rousseau's…
Mozibur Ullah
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What is "State" for Rousseau?

I guess this simple question has a simple answer, but I have not found it. I am reading "The Social Contract" and am really loving it. I understand Rousseau's distinction of sovereign and government. However, I do not understand what he means by…
Francisco QV
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Rousseau's Social Contract and the state of nature

According to Rousseau, the human being is naturally good, and lived peacefully before the advent of civilization. If it is the case, then why does Rousseau advocate for a social contract which purpose is to prevent the individuals from fighting each…
Starckman
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Can someone expand Rousseau's proper definition of war?

Rousseau, in his 'Of the Social Contract', chapter IV, 'Slavery', puts that: Men, from the mere fact that, while they are living in their primitive independence, they have no mutual relations stable enough to constitute either the state of…
Ezequiel Barbosa
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Inquiring about Perspectives on the Theory of "the People" as a Political Concept

Seeking your insights and recommendations regarding a specific aspect of political philosophy - the theory of "the People." I am currently exploring various perspectives on this concept and would greatly appreciate any recommendations on influential…
cricket900
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A question about Rousseau's conception of freedom

In his Lettres écrites de la montagne, Rousseau writes this: It's all very well to confuse independence with freedom. The two things are so different that they are even mutually exclusive. When people do as they please, they often do what others do…
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English translation of "Les meditations metaphysiques de J. J. Rousseau (Paris: Vrin, 1970)"

Reading Theory of Metaphor in Rousseau's Second Discourse and I came across this passage: Very few informed readers today would still maintain that Rousseau's state of nature is an empirical reality, present, past, or future. [4] He then writes…
A Dark Divided Gem
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Regarding Rousseau's Right to Conquest

In book I chapter 4 of Rousseau's social contract. While discussing the topic of right to conquest I didn't quite understand what Rousseau meant by saying that individuals are in constant state of war and that slavery is associated with rights and…
B E I R U T
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What are the main differences and similarities between Rousseau and Kant's moral philosophy?

Main differences and similarities between Rousseau and Kant, especially in the subjects of justice, morality and also how Rousseau influenced Kant.
Morality
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Natural sociality in Rousseau and Aristotle

Are we social or solitary by Rousseau's reckoning? How do his arguments stand in relation to Aristotle's idea of humans as essentially social or political?
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what does Bertrand Russell mean by saying this

he said on the preface of "history of western philosophy": "the student of Rousseau may have difficulty in doing justice to his connection with the Sparta of Plato and Plutarch." what does this mean? to check the full preface:…
Mbarek Erras
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Can we separate ideas (utilitarianism, social contract) from their primary associated philosophers (Mill, Rousseau)?

I've run into some difficulty discussing utilitarianism and the social contract because the typical response is something specific to Mill or Rousseau. It's not quite ad hominem argument -- they're not saying "Mill was a bad person; therefore,…
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