ipl-logo

Jean Jacques Rousseau Research Paper

701 Words3 Pages

Introduction
In Social Contract, Jean Jacques Rousseau has attempted to lay down a form of government that eliminates any chances of people becoming victims in any way. For him, this type of government must allow people unlimited sovereignty and must create equality amongst them so as to reduce chances of victimhood. While all of this seems to be hinting at an anti-totalitarian stance, Rousseau seems to employ a fundamentally totalitarian approach in his book.
Rousseau as an Advocate of Totalitarianism
Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) opens the famous book, Social Contract, with the phrase ‘man is born free but he is everywhere in chains.’ It is through this statement that he asserts that modern states limit people’s physical freedom – which has been granted to them by nature – and take no measure to secure people’s civil freedom, as a consequence of which people enter into and become a part of the civil society. As per Rousseau, legitimate political authority …show more content…

He writes, ‘… the claimant occupies no more than he needs for subsistence … he takes possession … by actually working and cultivating the soil – the only sign of ownership…’ This takes us back to Rousseau’s aim of creating equality between people by allowing them to take only what is theirs from the common good once they have entered the social pact. This deep egalitarian tendency can be seen in the case of ‘the right of the first occupancy’ here: equality is being created by each man receiving only what he needs from the common good, nothing more and nothing less. This would not have been possible in a democracy; had there been a democracy, people would have been greedily taking whatever they could get their hands on. Rousseau’s society has a very controlling government with a lot of power and holds back its individuals from acquiring what is not

Show More
Related
1721 Words | 7 Pages

While we can read about liberty and the state of nature in Rousseau and, at least implicitly, in Madison, we cannot necessarily determine where these views come from. Why does Rousseau view the state of nature as slavery to one’s instincts? Why does Madison think negative liberties are so important? While a possible explanation could refer to their views about human nature, this explanation is hard to support with Memorial and Remonstrance and On the Social Contract alone. More analysis of Rousseau and Madison’s other works could provide richer context for this particular disagreement, shedding light on the views of two tremendously influential thinkers about politics and

Read More
1225 Words | 5 Pages

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

Read More
444 Words | 2 Pages

President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Did he sign this because he genuinely thought it was the right thing to do? Or did he sign it to better his chances of being re-elected for president? Judging by the presented documents, the evidence leans towards a mixture of both.

Read More
571 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
812 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
1137 Words | 5 Pages

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

Read More
482 Words | 2 Pages

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

Read More
877 Words | 4 Pages

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).

Read More
216 Words | 1 Pages

In the final analysis, Jean-Jacques Rousseau cannot be held entirely responsible for the actions of others when he already admits the existence of weaknesses in The Social Contract. While there is some coherence in Rousseau’s ideas of natural man and his foremost duty as a citizen bound to a social contract, Rousseau attached problematic conditions of a higher body in the “legislator” and a temporary dictatorship for exceptional circumstances. This also makes it difficult to fully implicate Maximilien Robespierre for the Reign of Terror when the event spiralled out of actions that had the noble intent of The Social Contract in mind, including all of its assumptions and its contradictory and precarious elements. The difficulty of pinning responsibility

Read More
1631 Words | 7 Pages

In any other system, the people give up their freedom without any reason; it should be created only if all agree to it. The social contract would exist for the purpose of self-preservation, pushing the common will of the Sovereign. To convince his audience of these complex ideas, Rousseau must stay organized and be intentional in his rhetorical

Read More
1012 Words | 5 Pages

Book One of The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau focuses on the reasons that people give up their natural liberty in order to achieve protection from threats to themselves and their property. This results in the formation of a legitimate sovereign where all members are equal. Rousseau believes that no human has authority over another individual because force cannot be established. He argues that no individual will give up his or her freedom without receiving something in return. I will focus my analysis on how the social contract states that we must give up our individual rights in order to obtain equality and security.

Read More
479 Words | 2 Pages

One of the most famous Enlightenment thinkers was Jean-Jacques Rousseau, author of The Social Contract. The point of The Social Contract is to establish whether or not a legitimate political authority can exist. Rousseau based his book on the idea that things were worse of now that people were under a governmental authority than before—whenever they were in a state of nature. Rousseau’s work was influential around the world, giving rise to political reforms and

Read More
511 Words | 3 Pages

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

Read More
1624 Words | 7 Pages

“This right does not come from nature, it is therefore founded upon convention”. Rousseau does not view society in the same light as Durkheim. He does not believe that society is the savior of humans and that there is no real self without it. Unlike Durkheim, Rousseau believes that the only natural society is the traditional family and that any other form is forged out of convention. Rousseau mentions that when parents are done raising their child and that child is no longer dependent, but chooses to stay then the family is together out if convention and is then unnatural.

Read More
1351 Words | 6 Pages

Thus, both men would evaluate the statement that “in a legitimate state all men are free and there is no inequality,” differently. Rousseau would mostly disagree, holding that the state itself is the impetus for inequality. Hobbes would largely agree, contending that men are equal both in a primitive state of conflict and under a sovereign’s awesome power. These different responses result from the philosophers’ opposing views on fundamental human nature, civil society’s raison d’etre, and government’s inevitable form. --- Rousseau begins his

Read More

More about Jean Jacques Rousseau Research Paper

Related Topics

Open Document