Rousseau's View Of Society During The 18th Century

Introduction

Progression is one of the most attractive concepts of modern life, the idea that the world is becoming a better place makes people feel good about society. This became very apparent during the 18th century a time when European nations were producing vast amounts of wealth, and experiencing new technological development. People were benefiting from formalized societies which ultimately led to the simultaneous creation of a new conservative view of mankind. The majority of Europeans believed that humanity was shifting away from past eras of savagery and ignorance toward a newly emerging prosperous civilization. However, a Swiss-born French philosopher by the name of Jean-Jacques Rousseau aggressively disagreed with this notion.

It is no secret that people want what they cannot have, but if you do not know something exist it is impossible to want it. Rousseau believed that people were once good, when they lived in the state of nature. In his state of nature people are guided by morals, empathy for others, and are full of pity. He depicts the state of nature as a peaceful time period, when people resided in the forest and lived in harmony finding entertainment in simple things. Everyone is equal in the state of nature, because the Earth belongs to no one. However, once societies started to form this peaceful form of living Rousseau’s wrote about was corrupted. A great example of people living peacefully in the state of nature and then being corrupted by society would be the Native American communities that once walked this land. Native Americans lived simple lives without the desire for materialistic possessions, but once the modern Europeans arrived in North America things quickly changed. Specifically, Native Americans started to want things like guns, beads, and mirrors; the modern society influence of the Europeans changed the lives of the Native Americans forever and in the end led to their