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Rousseau: Most Important Funders Of The 18th Century

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Rousseau as a liberal was one of the most important funders of the 18th century, in the time of Enlightenment. Inspired by Plutarch, Machiavelli and Plato, his pursuit was promoting realism, equality, freedom from authoritarianism and questioning everything. He considered the individual to be important for the creation and relation of states, humans can be good or bad as individuals, but when part of a society it is easier to be corrupted by bad institutions. Rousseau thought of men as a naturally solitary which leads to self-love that can translate into selfishness and greed, and also compassion and love for others which can weaken their instinct for survival. The difference from man and animals is autonomy; being able to give own rules and
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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 Rousseau felt that the system was outdated and it made citizens feel as if they were living in someone else’s home rather than their own, so he theorized that by fabricating a system in which the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.

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Rousseau demonstrated the importance of “rights as a community as a whole” regarding the different benefits in the hierarchical divisions found through the estates . This atmosphere of questioning how France was governed was a significant change in the pre-revolutionary

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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.

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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

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He based his beliefs off of the ideas that all men are created good-natured, but society corrupts them. Unlike some other French Enlightenment thinkers, Rousseau believed that the Social contract was not a willing agreement. He also said that no man should be forced to give up their natural rights to a ruler. He came up with the solution that people should “give up” their natural rights to the community for the public’s good. He believed in a democratic government.

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However, Rousseau pertains to the American Revolution, and French Revolution because by his premise the Americans, and the French wanted equality. The Americans, and French came together through collectivism measures, and gave up their rights for equal gains. Rousseau philosophy was on the poor, or people with no power which clearly can be interpreted within the Revolutions.

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Those who were considered as general leaders of the Enlightenment years were thought to be very intellectual and were held by most people in the highest regard throughout the colonial society. Some of the more common names spoken back then were of men such as “John Locke, Voltaire, Adam Smith, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison” (Sage, 2013, para. 3). Jean-Jacques Rousseau was another prominent thinker as well. He believed that all “individuals had natural rights to life, liberty, and property, which even a king or pope could not deny” (Schultz, 2010, p. 69). Rousseau, along with countless others fought for the rights of the people while insisting that each person is afforded the lawful right to live their own life and to cast aside the authoritativeness of others if they saw fit in doing

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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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144 Words | 1 Pages

While Roy is a typical Hobbesian follower of every-man-for-himself ideology, Louis passionately believes in Rousseau’s idea

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1195 Words | 5 Pages

Rousseau’s idea of individual freedom made itself known throughout the United States and Europe. He completely disagreed with absolute power and the government and religion mixing. Beccaria believed if you were accused of a crime you should still have rights. Beccaria was against the death penalty he thought it was wrong, he felt the only way to reduce crime was education. He also played an importance to a couple of our Ten amendments #6 the right to a speedy trial meaning you have the right to see a judge in a timely manner.

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The argument of the legislator as presented by Rousseau is sometimes said to be on of Rousseau’s weakest points in his work on the social contract. He even starts off chapter seven speaking of the legislators divine origins and how this can only be perfected by Gods (pg. 68). In fact, Rousseau actually even acknowledges this peculiarity himself concerning the challenge of the legislator: “Thus in the task of legislation we find together two things which seem to be incompatible: an enterprise too difficult for human powers, and, for its execution, an authority that is no authority.”(pg. 69). Upon face value, it can be difficult to discern exactly what role the legislator plays in the Social Contract as explained by Rousseau; however, when we

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989 Words | 4 Pages

Rousseau’s hypothesis was similar to Locke’s in that man was naturally good and would be content in the state of nature. Rousseau was in favour of individual freedom and independence. In contrast to Hobbes he believed that human life in the state of nature would not be clouded by selfishness and that men would not have this unearthly desire to acquire more possessions, for which he would have no need or desire. Rousseau’s theory unlike Locke’s theory states that men would be independent and not need to rely on each other. He states “man is born free, but he is everywhere in chains".

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754 Words | 4 Pages

Rousseau’s his political philosophies flows through his moral philosophies. In order to understand this better, let me begin by explaining in details both his moral and political philosophies ROUSSEAU’S MORAL PHILOSOPHY- Rousseau was of the one of the very few thinkers who felt that human beings are good by nature but it is the society that corrupts them. He necessarily talks about three components that form the basis of Rousseau’s moral psychology- amour de soi, amour propre and pitie. All these three elements have developed well in Emile and in Discourse on the Origin of Inequality.

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810 Words | 4 Pages

The French Revolution was undoubtedly influenced by the political theorists of the Enlightenment. The ideas of two French political theorists in particular are easily seen throughout the French Revolution, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Baron Montesquieu. Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s thoughts and texts, such as the Social Contract, instilled the entitlement of basic human rights to all men. Rousseau’s concepts on rights combined with Baron Montesquieu’s ideas on government provided the backbone of a radical movement in the French Revolution known as the Terror. When one delves into the beginnings of the French Revolution, the motives and actions of the National Assembly, and the Terror of the French Revolution, one can obviously see the influence of two Enlightenment political theorists, Rousseau and Montesquieu.

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1071 Words | 5 Pages

In Rousseau’s political thoughts general will is at the heart of social contract. General will is the most fundamental principle in Rousseau’s social contract. Social contract gets its legitimacy through only the application of general will. But what this “general will” actually is? To Rousseau general will is not simply the sum total of all individual wills, rather it is the collective will of the people of a community.

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