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Compare Rousseau, Adam Smith, And Auguste Comte's Work

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There are several social commentators that were writing about the intricacies of society that predate traditional sociological theorists. Humans have always tried to explain the world around them, and we as humans fit into that equation. Jean-Jacque Rousseau, Adam Smith, and Auguste Comte evaluated the questions of what holds society together, how is inequality created, and how is inequality maintained. Jean-Jacque Rousseau is a Swiss philosopher, writer, and composer who lived from 1712 – 1778, and his writings covered many topics. The work that I will evaluate is a portion of “The Social Contract”. “Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains (Rousseau 1939). This is a statement to the fact that man is free when they are born, but …show more content…

The division of labor can be of great benefit to the society at large because it creates innovation and creation. The division of labor is beneficial because a worker can focus on a single task and master that task with better efficiency than to have to split themselves between multiple tasks (Eliot 1909). This also helps save time because a worker can utilize one machine and not have to master or move to several different machines. In addition, when one person is focused on a specific task that can lead to the invention of a specialized tool or more efficient, alternate way to accomplish that task (Eliot 1909).. However, the wages from the division of labor can rely heavily on the level of education on has, the physical ability to do a job, the amount of trust bestowed, and the agreeableness of the job. This creates inequalities. For example, if one cannot afford higher education or an education beyond a local or public college level, ones wages are affected. In turn, the type of car, home, or neighborhood, one can afford has reproductions on the equality afforded to them and any future generations. If a job is disagreeable or involved high risk, the income tends to be higher – with the exception of the military. Inequality in terms of Smith, is maintained through trade and the interconnectedness of the different parts. This makes it harder for one portion of the whole to change the

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These inequalities effects so many people in society both wealthy and people live in poverty. In America low wage workers have some options like little education and having transportations issue. These people in society have very complex issues and it is difficult they change the situation. These people have low self-esteem they learned in every job.

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The rich were able to become richer, whereas the poor could basically only get poorer. This is how Rockman described the unfair market of Baltimore in the 1800’s. As an upper-class employer, the labor market was easy to take advantage of. There was an excess of poor people that were looking for work and would do whatever was necessary to get a job. Both free and unfree laborers worked the same jobs alongside each other.

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1376 Words | 6 Pages

This paper examines both Jean-Jacques Rousseau and James Madison remark concerning ‘ factions ’ as the potential destructive social force to the society. To layout and examine, this paper will first outline and discuss on Rousseau’s understanding of factions in The Social Contract,and Madison’s discussion on factionalism in the Federalist Papers 10.But there are many component surrounded with their remark’s on ‘factions’,so it is important to consider together. Firstly,I will consider the definition and the element surrounded with their remark on ‘ factions ’. With regard to Jean-Jacques Rousseau in The Social Contract,he believed that the society could only function to the extent that people had their interest in common.

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During the Enlightenment new ideas were created that greatly impacted society. The new ideas created during the Enlightenment impacted society so much that many of the ideas were utilized when forming the government of the United States. Three European men Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau each had their own unique views of what would be best for society. Each philosopher had ideas that would make today 's society more ideal and with hard work are possible to achieve.

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470 Words | 2 Pages

A philosopher named John Locke believed that people should be free to do what they want, but if their choices are poor, then they should be ready to face the consequences. In his justification, he asserts that “We must consider what state men are naturally in... a state of perfect freedom to order their actions and dispose

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1199 Words | 5 Pages

Adam Smith, an advocate of capitalism, in his book, The Wealth of Nations wrote that all individuals are selfish and by performing to the best of their capabilities towards their own selfish interests they contribute towards the nation’s collective growth. Karl Marx, on the other hand criticized capitalism and believed that socialism and communism are society’s best chance of maximizing individual happiness, about which he wrote in his book Das Kapital. In this paper, we will compare and contrast the economics theories of Adam Smith and Karl Marx on the lines of labor theory of value, division of labor, alienation of workers from labor and human happiness and surplus profit and its social implications. This paper will also discuss how… Adam Smith believes that there are two types of ‘values’ of a commodity – ‘utility value’ and ‘exchange value’. The utility value of a commodity is based on how useful a commodity is and the exchange value of a commodity refers to how much we can get in exchange for a commodity if we were to sell it.

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1058 Words | 5 Pages

Claudius Ptolemy was an ancient scholar, famous in the fields of astronomy, geography, and mathematics. When compared to many other famous scholars, Claudius Ptolemy’s personal life is very much a mystery. However, his works in the math and scientific community are very well documented and he had a profound impact in these areas of interest. The most famous of his works is called the Almagest, which is a series of thirteen books that are dedicated to his work in astronomy and mathematics. However, the main focus in our journey will be in learning about a specific theorem Ptolemy proposed through his work in the first book of the Almagest.

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548 Words | 3 Pages

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a mystical and illogical fairytale presented in the form of a play.  Written with various poetic forms and rhyme schemes, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was an instant classic.   Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses a dream as a common theme and important idea.  From the ingenious concept that the play as a whole was a dream dreamt by the audience to Bottom’s ‘dream’ that he was a donkey that fell in love with a Fairy queen, it is apparent that the whole story is based around dreams and their unnatural and strange qualities.

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The questions of the whether social inequality is justified and the extent of government to address said inequality are some of the foundations upon which societies and economies are built. Two key philosophers on this issue – John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau – differ on this subject. In Two Treatises on Government, Locke holds that individuals have a right to property derived from their labor, citizens consent to the existence of inequality in society, and governments are instituted among men to protect said property. In contrast, Rousseau writes in Discourse on the Origin of Inequality and The Social Contract that inequality should be strictly limited and that governments have a duty to act in the best interest of its citizens by maintaining

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On the other hand, Werther takes an extremely Romantic approach, with his life and experiences demonstrating the limitations of a rational society. In Discourse on the Origin of Moral Inequality, Rousseau rationally determines that the emergence of society and the invention of property directly cause moral inequality between people, specifically, the rich and the poor. First, he establishes the state of nature as a basic system, with no complex morality or rationality involved, unlike the states of nature described by Hobbes and Locke. At the most fundamental degree, Rousseau places mankind at the same level as other animals.

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However, I think it is important to remember Rousseau’s concept of perfectibility and understand that because of this trait it was almost inevitable that humans would eventually become social. Yet, it is not inevitable that humans would become politically unequal, as that is a direct result of government institutions. As well, Rousseau himself in further writings even expresses the hope that a new form of social contract could help to ease some of the political inequalities that plague contemporary society. This then suggests that the cause for these issues is not rooted in being social, for it is possible to live among others in a setting where equality has been institutionalized. Rather, the problem lies with corrupt and capitalist governments that serve to perpetuate inauthenticity and private

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1512 Words | 7 Pages

Introduction Great thinkers, including Plato and Aristotle opened the doors to studying society; they based their thoughts on creating an “ideal society”. The science of Sociology was later developed in the early 19th century by Auguste Comte, who coined the word “Sociology”. He began to study society, using “critical thinking”. Comte believed that only by really understanding society could we begin to change it.

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1. Introduction Income inequality has grown significantly during this past decades and this phenomenon continues to increase over the years. This problem is constantly discussed in the daily news all around the world. Several consequences of this increase of inequality between people leads to economic problems such as high unemployment rates, lack of work for young people, fall of demand for certain product. The gap between rich and poor is increasing, the rich are richer and the poor are poorer as a result politicians and economists try to adopt certain policies in order to reduce this gap.

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One of the most important concepts that defined the capitalist economy is the division of labor. Throughout the years, great philosophers such as Adam Smith, Max Weber, and Karl Marx have discussed theories that have drastically changed and molded the modern labor force. Thus, the ideal of labor division was created. Its purpose is to distribute labor skills amongst groups of people and by doing so it enabled workers to build products quickly. From this ideal, it allowed industries to expand their productivity and create trade on a global scale.

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Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau have become known as three of the most prominent political theorists in the world today. Their philosophies and innovative thinking is known worldwide and it has influenced the creation of numerous new governments. All three thinkers agree on the idea of a social contract but their opinions differ on how the social contract is established and implemented within each society. These philosophers state, that in order for the social contract to be successful people need to give up certain freedoms in order to secure fundamental protections from the state, henceforth the state then has certain responsibilities to their citizens. Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau all believe that before men were governed we all lived in a state of nature.

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