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Jean Jacques Rousseau Research Paper

1038 Words5 Pages

Jean- Jacques Rousseau is a well-known philosopher and radical political theorist whose ideas of inequality and political philosophy influenced many radical thinkers in history, as well as modern day ideologies. His many pieces of work including, Emile, The Social Contract, and ideas about the natural human and the common good created ideas that society was corrupt, creating a hard life for the lower classes. Rousseau believed that political views should not be separate from morality and education was important for not only adults but children as well. His ideas led people to think about the way we live our lives and are important in many of our societal duties. Rousseau greatly influenced modern day society with his unique philosophies, …show more content…

Rousseau looked to the state of nature as a positive guide to his theories. He believed that human inequality cannot exist in the state of nature. The state of nature is the idea that humans can live a life where man is not corrupted by society’s standards. To Rousseau, many modern ideas like law, property, and inequality simply do not exist in nature, so it should not exist in modern society. Physically, if a man cannot provide for himself due to his height, weight, or physical attributes, then inequality can exist in nature, but cannot be compared to the inequality from a corrupt government. Rousseau believed that humans develop in stages from birth to death. The savage stage was Rousseau’s idea that a natural man was basically the same as an ape or chimpanzee, meaning that civilized humans are artificial. Humans were no longer in touch with their correct, natural characteristics. Negative societal influences are what created the idea that human pride and materials were what separated each person from the other. If these differences were kept to a minimal, society may be able to come together because they would be depending on one another instead of competing against each other. Rousseau believed that the only way to reverse the effects of modern society was for man to find the virtue he once had and to abide by a social

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