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Jean Jacques Rousseau Research Paper

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Fernandez 2 Jean Jacques Rousseau is one of the most influential philosophers and a writer during the eighteenth century Europe. He was born on June 28, 1712 in Geneva, Switzerland. His mother died in childbirth. At a very young age Rousseau moved to Paris Rousseau. In Paris he met Madame De Warrens she became his lover and influence to become Catholic. Through his life he has numeral on mistress which he conceive five children. All his five children ended up in Orphanage because Rousseau felt to take care of them. Rousseau came up with the idea of the concept of ?General Will? is political theory, a collectively held will that aims at the common good or common interest an important concept in modern republican thought. The general will is the pure desire of the body of people within a social contract. Rousseau states the general will is always right and always lean towards to the public good; however it does not follow that the deliberations of the people are always equally. In this paper I will support Rousseau idea …show more content…

If something is contrary to the general will, then it is contrary to the good of the society. It?s the person force to be free? However, that Rousseau is writing a formula for totalitarianism. A tyrannical despot rules a totalitarian government, and has the power to force any citizen to do whatever they government want. Nowhere in The Social Contract does Rousseau advise a leader to have such much power. Even the most commanding leader Rousseau proposes is a sovereign, Moreover Velasquez agreed according this quotes from his book. ?Sovereignty is nothing but the exercise of the general will and for this reason it can never be alienated? (Velasquez 221). who would have nothing else but to accept and exercise of the ?General Will?. If people do what they are supposed to do freedom will not be

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In any case of failure to protect the rights, the people were in their complete right to overthrow the government (Doc 2 & Pg. 630) In agreement, Rousseau believed that the government’s power also comes from the consent of the people, which he included in his book, The Social Contract. (Pg. 632) Rousseau included much more ideas that incorporated political aspects, but he also his thought about

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Rousseau’s beliefs coincided with the beliefs of other Enlightenment thinkers. This is shown when he writes, “Duty and interest thus equally require the two contracting parties [the people and the government] to aid each other mutually” (Document 3). In that period of history, it was typical for people to be ruled by a monarch and they had very little say, if any, in the laws and policies that impacted their day to day life. Rousseau felt that the system was outdated and it made citizens feel as if they were living in someone else’s home rather than their own, so he theorized that by fabricating a system in which the government and the people are forced to work together, it creates a sense of unity and equality. This works because “ … an offense against one of its members is an offense against the body politic.

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Rousseau’s beliefs coincided with the beliefs of other Enlightenment thinkers. This is shown when he writes, “Duty and interest thus equally require the two contracting parties [the people and the government] to aid each other mutually” (Document 3). In that period of history, it was typical for people to be ruled by a monarch and they had very little say, if any, in the laws and policies that impacted their day to day life. Rousseau felt that the system was outdated and it made citizens feel as if they were living in someone else’s home rather than their own, so he theorized that by fabricating a system in which the government and the people are forced to work together, it creates a sense of unity and equality. This works because “ … an offense against one of its members is an offense against the body politic.

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Rousseau’s main idea is that everyone should feel safe, happy, and equal even if it means sacrificing personal joy for the good of society. If these things are not present then the community does not work. The contract

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Rousseau argued for the elimination of privileges and social hierarchies, and the declaration reflects this principle by proclaiming that all citizens are equal in the eyes of the law and entitled to the same rights and protections. This is seen in the declaration in the words “the law must be the same for all, whether it protects or punishes (National Assembly 78).” It also speaks about all being equally protected and no one doing anything which would harm another, as seen in the words “ Liberty consists in being able to do whatever does not harm another (National Assembly 77).” It draws a line when others are harmed, protecting all and limiting all to make sure people are not

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Rousseau, one of the most leading philosophers during the Enlightenment, had indeed left many of legendries behind. Not only his writings had caused many of the reactions at that time, but also influenced many writers’ aspects of the French Revolution and the overall understanding of inequality and the General Will. As one of the chief political theorists during the French Revolution who was also influenced by Rousseau’s ideas, Abbe Sieyes, published the pamphlet, “What is the Third Estate?” in 1789. This pamphlet was one of the documents that changed the world and lit the flame toward the French Revolution, as characterized by Joe Janes, a University of Washington professor (Janes).

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Many artists express their core values, whether it be political, social, or moral, through their creations, which display the individual decisions made in their artistic process. No matter the form of art, each artistic decision offers a multitude of opportunities to tell a story, evoke emotion, and captivate audience members. By examining two seemingly different works, Greta Gerwig’s 2023 movie Barbie and Howardena Pindell’s 1988 painting Autobiography: Air (CS560), themes of injustice and identity manifest in both. Through the utilization of juxtaposition, repetition, and color scheme, each artist employs a unique presentation of the meaning of acceptance into society.

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The general will is something additional to the simply the will of all the individuals. In Rousseau’s view general will is the only source of law and it is the only sovereign. A government drives its legitimacy through “the general will”, a government against the general will cannot be a legitimate one. The foundation of social

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