Rousseau mini lecture
Summary
TLDRIn this video, we delve into Jean-Jacques Rousseau's political philosophy, focusing on his belief in man's natural goodness and the corrupting influence of society. Rousseau argues for a direct democracy guided by the 'general will' to counter societal corruption and enslavement. He posits that obeying the laws of such a society, even if it means being compelled, is a form of freedom, as it aligns with the collective good and suppresses individual vanity.
Takeaways
- 🌿 Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that humans are naturally good but are corrupted and enslaved by society.
- 🏛️ Rousseau's solution to societal corruption is direct democracy, where laws are made according to the general will, aiming to create a less corrupt and free society.
- 🤔 Rousseau's concept of freedom is nuanced; he suggests that obeying laws can paradoxically force individuals to be free by aligning them with the general will.
- 📚 Rousseau's ideas are a response to Hobbes' view of the state of nature, arguing that Hobbes misinterpreted it and that true freedom and goodness are found in a pre-societal state.
- 🧐 Rousseau differentiates between 'good' and 'moral', suggesting that morality arises from social interactions and the need to live with others, not from a natural state.
- 👥 In Rousseau's view, society corrupts individuals by fostering competition and the desire to impress others, leading to vanity and a loss of freedom.
- 🗳️ Direct democracy, as proposed by Rousseau, requires active participation from all citizens in law-making to ensure they are both sovereign and subject.
- 🏢 Rousseau criticizes representative democracy and political parties, arguing they lead to individuals representing their party's interests rather than the general will.
- 🔗 Rousseau's 'general will' refers to the collective interests of all, which should guide legislation and is key to maintaining freedom within a political society.
- 🛡️ For Rousseau, legitimate laws that reflect the general will are essential for freedom, and disobedience to such laws should be met with force to uphold the social contract.
Q & A
What is Jean-Jacques Rousseau's view on human nature in the state of nature?
-Rousseau believed that humans are naturally good in the state of nature, living separate lives and not desiring to dominate or harm others. They are guided by self-love to protect themselves but also tempered by pity for others, leading to a state of radical freedom and goodness, but not morality.
How does Rousseau think society corrupts individuals?
-Rousseau argues that society corrupts individuals by introducing competition and vanity. As people come together, they start to compare themselves to others, leading to a desire for material possessions, status, and power, which makes them unfree and enslaved by the opinions of others.
What is the role of vanity in Rousseau's philosophy?
-Vanity, for Rousseau, is a corrupting force that turns self-love into a desire for the approval of others. It leads individuals to act not out of their own desires but to impress others, which contradicts the freedom and natural goodness he associates with the state of nature.
What is Rousseau's solution to the problem of societal corruption?
-Rousseau proposes a direct democracy as a solution, where individuals participate in making laws according to the general will. This political structure aims to create a society that is less corrupt and ensures freedom by aligning individual actions with the collective good.
How does Rousseau define the 'general will'?
-The 'general will', according to Rousseau, represents what is in everybody's best interests, rather than the interests of a specific individual or group. It is the collective good that should guide the decisions made in a direct democracy.
What does Rousseau mean when he says 'forced to be free'?
-Rousseau's statement 'forced to be free' suggests that individuals may resist laws that align with the general will, but obeying these laws actually ensures their freedom. It implies that true freedom is not the absence of constraints but living under laws that protect the collective good and suppress individual vanity.
How does Rousseau's concept of freedom differ from the common understanding?
-Rousseau's concept of freedom is not about doing whatever one wants but about living under laws that suppress individual desires driven by vanity. True freedom, for him, is the silence of the passions and living according to the general will, which may sometimes require individuals to be compelled to obey laws for their own freedom.
What is the significance of the social contract in Rousseau's philosophy?
-The social contract is central to Rousseau's philosophy as it represents the agreement among individuals to form a society and abide by the general will. It is a voluntary agreement where everyone consents to be both sovereign (part of the ruling body) and subject (obeying the laws), ensuring that laws serve the collective good.
Why does Rousseau emphasize direct democracy over representative democracy?
-Rousseau emphasizes direct democracy because he believes that individuals should represent themselves and make laws for the collective good, not their own interests or those of a political party. This prevents the corruption of the general will and ensures that laws are made with the entire community's interests in mind.
How does Rousseau's idea of the state of nature compare to Thomas Hobbes' view?
-Rousseau's view of the state of nature contrasts with Hobbes' by suggesting that humans are naturally good and not in a constant state of war, as Hobbes proposed. Rousseau believes that the state of nature is one of freedom and goodness, while it is society that corrupts humans and leads to a loss of freedom.
Outlines
🌿 Rousseau's View on Natural Goodness and Social Corruption
This paragraph introduces the political philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, emphasizing his belief in the inherent goodness of humans in a state of nature and the corrupting influence of society. Rousseau argues that society not only corrupts us but also enslaves us, leading to a loss of freedom. His solution is the establishment of a direct democracy where laws are made according to the general will, aiming to create a less corrupt and non-enslaving society. The paragraph also contrasts Rousseau's ideas with those of Thomas Hobbes, particularly regarding the state of nature. Rousseau believes that to truly understand the state of nature, one must look back to a time before society and political structures, envisioning a time when humans lived as 'cave people,' independent and free but also good in the sense of not wanting to harm others.
🏛️ Rousseau's Vision for a Free Society and the Social Contract
The second paragraph delves into Rousseau's concept of freedom and his idea of the social contract as a means to recover the lost freedom experienced in the state of nature. Rousseau suggests that while we cannot return to that state, we can create a new society where freedom is preserved through political participation. He advocates for a direct democracy where every individual is both a sovereign and a subject, participating in the creation and obedience of laws. Rousseau's view of freedom is not about doing whatever one wants but about aligning one's actions with the general will, which he believes is in everyone's best interest. The paragraph also discusses the transformation of self-love into vanity within society and how this vanity corrupts and enslaves individuals. Rousseau's solution is to quiet the passions and make decisions based on the general will, which he outlines in his book 'The Social Contract.' The concept of being 'forced to be free' is introduced, suggesting that obeying laws made for the common good is a form of freedom, even if it requires enforcement.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Jean-Jacques Rousseau
💡State of Nature
💡Social Contract
💡General Will
💡Direct Democracy
💡Enslavement
💡Corruption
💡Vanity
💡Freedom
💡Forced to be Free
Highlights
Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that humans are naturally good but are corrupted and enslaved by society.
Rousseau's solution to societal corruption is direct democracy where laws are made according to the general will.
Rousseau argues that obeying the general will leads to a less corrupt society and ensures freedom from enslavement.
Rousseau's concept of freedom involves obeying laws that one has had a part in creating, which contrasts with Hobbes' view of the state of nature.
Rousseau differentiates between the state of nature and civilized man, suggesting the former is a time prior to society and political structures.
In the state of nature, humans are described as living separate lives, radically free, and naturally good but not moral.
Rousseau posits that morality emerges only when humans live in society and interact with one another.
Society's formation leads to the development of vanity and competitiveness, which Rousseau sees as corrupting and enslaving humans.
Rousseau's concept of the 'general will' refers to what is in everybody's best interests, not just individual interests.
In Rousseau's vision, individuals must participate directly in the creation of laws to maintain freedom.
Rousseau advocates for a direct democracy where citizens vote on issues themselves, rather than through representatives.
Rousseau suggests that true freedom is the ability to represent oneself and make decisions in the interest of the whole community.
Rousseau's idea of 'forcing someone to be free' means enforcing compliance with laws that are in everyone's best interest.
Rousseau's view on freedom contrasts with the idea of doing whatever one desires; instead, it's about aligning with the general will.
Rousseau's political philosophy emphasizes the importance of self-governance and the suppression of individual vanity for the common good.
Transcripts
today we're going to look at the
political ideas of Jean Jac rouso in
particular we're going to have a look at
his idea that we are naturally good but
we are corrupted by Society but also
that as we are corrupted by Society we
are also enslaved by this Society we'll
then look at Russo's answer for this
which is a direct democracy where we
make laws according to the general will
this Society will firstly lead us to be
a less corrupt society and second of all
ensure that we are not enslaved finally
we'll look at a puzzling statement by
Jean Jac Russo that if we disobey the
laws will'll be forced to be free and
suggest that this in fact reveals
Russo's novel view of freedom but is not
a license to
tyranny now you'll remember from when we
looked at Hobs that Hobs thought that
there was this hypothetical situation
called the state of nature in which
there was no sovereign state over us and
in this state of nature due to the
nature of mankind Our Lives will be
nasty brutish and short uh there's no
morals in the state of nature we will do
whatever we need to do in order to
protect ourselves Russo feels that Hobs
wasn't actually looking at the state of
nature but rather civilized man as Russo
would call him rather in order to look
at the state of nature Russo thought you
need to look back in time to a Time
prior to society and and prior to a
political state so Russo takes us back
to a time in which we are effectively
for one of a better phrase cave people
living on our own Russo thought and he
said that in this Society we would be
naturally good
right now I just want to pause on this
point a minute because Russo says that
we'll be naturally good but not
naturally moral morality Russo says only
comes into play when we need to live
with other people uh you know Thou shalt
not steal Thou shalt not cover thy
neighbor's wife in order for those two
statements to be meaningful there needs
to be other people who have property um
and a neighbor and your neighbor has to
have a wife now Russo thought in this
early original state of nature mankind
would live Separate Lives they would
live their lives according to two maxims
one am Mora which by which Russo meant
self-love with regards to wanting to
protect yourself for no harm to come on
your own but secondly this would be
tempered by the fact that Russo thought
we would live according to pity that is
to say that we wouldn't want to see
suffering in another person
consequently the original state of
nature for Russo is people living
separate lives uh depending on the will
of no other person so therefore
radically free but also good in the
sense that they would not actually want
to harm someone else when there was a
conflict there would be a conflict over
a specific thing an apple a tree
whatever uh but they would be limited to
that we would have no desire to dominate
or harm everyone else
that is the state of nature for
rouso so naturally mankind is radically
free and naturally good not moral but
good this is contrasted by Russo by the
corruption that is is is induced by
Society Society comes about because
these individual atomized uh men come
together in societ iy in order to do
tasks which they could do on their own
to build buildings for example now this
is good Russo thinks and also it has the
good consequence of introducing morals I
mentioned a minute ago that Russo thinks
that in order for morals to be relevant
in society you need a society a group of
individuals and Mankind coming together
in this fashion brings just that but he
says there's a downside to coming
together as society and that is the fact
that around the campfire in the evening
societies would start telling stories
they would start to um entertain one
another and in this process they would
want to look good in the eyes of other
people this process then continues to
people wanting fancier clothes than
other people wanting more property uh
they want slaves whatever things which
make people look powerful to other
people now this has two effects first of
all it corrupts us because you know it
makes us competitive against one another
but and this is the important thing it
makes us unfree it enslaves us because
in Russo's phrase we start to live our
lives Through The Eyes of others we
start to do things not because we want
to do them necessarily but because we
want to look good to other people it's
here that the amoda the self-love of
which I spoke in the earlier section
turns into a more proper vanity and it's
this vanity that corrupts us and
enslaves us because it leads us to
things which we don't want and are
unnatural to
us can we recover this lost Freedom
Russo says in essence we can't but we
can build something similar to it and
it's this construct of a new society in
which we can live in political society
and remain free which Russo um attempts
to outline in a book entitled the social
contract in it he says
every man in society and I I I use the
word man deliberately here all men in
society need to contract to form a
society together and they have to
explicitly state that they want to be
part of this contract uh logically
speaking if someone refuses to consent
to the legitimate power of government
then he can't be said to have to obey
the laws of government however rouso
says it's not enough to consent to
government but also you have to directly
participate in it you have to be both
Sovereign and subject you have to
participate in the making of the rules
and the obeying of the rules
consequently Russo's Republic is a
direct democracy all men need to go to
the assembly and vote on issues
themselves they are not allowed to join
members of of parties because uh Russo
says this means that people represent
their party not themselves you have to
rep represent only yourselves and make
laws for everybody Russo says by giving
yourself to everybody and making laws
for everybody we all in fact are giving
ourselves to no one and making laws for
ourselves alone now how does this deal
with vanity though Russo says that in
order to be free one needs to quiet the
passions not do what you want to do
rather than be free to do it and he says
in order to quell vanity our decisions
in society in that direct democracy
assembly need to be attuned to the
general will now the general will for
rouso is what is in everybody's best
interests rather than being in your
interest so consequently when I vote in
the assembly according to Russo I make
my decision on every bit of legislation
as to what is good for the entire
Republic not what is good for me this in
turn will make legitimate laws which
will dampen what I want because I cannot
go and make laws which directly benefit
me there's an intriguing quote near the
end of the social contract which says if
one refuses to obey the laws of the
sovereign power which you remember is
everybody then you'll be forced to be
free now this quote has led some to
think that Russo's providing a licensed
tyranny I'm not sure that this is the
case and remember this boils down to
what Russo says freedom is now what
Russo is saying is that everybody should
be able to represent themselves in the
assembly that they shouldn't have to be
a member of any party you know they
should be able to represent themselves
decision ision should be made of what's
in everybody's interests rather than any
one group of people or any particular
individual's basis and that that makes a
legitimate law if you refuse to obey
that law you will be forced to obey it
now that's not all that different to
societies of which we live in today if a
legitimate law is made we expect people
to obey it however rouso thinks that
making laws which apply to yourself is
freedom freedom is not doing whatever
vanity dictates that you do freedom is
not about doing what you want to do or
what your passions tell us to do it's
about making laws which get rid of your
Desir desires so freedom is as Russo
says the
seion The Silence of the passions that's
Freedom that's why you can be forced to
be free for ruso
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