Jean Jacques Rousseau and the State of Nature

Summary

This video script explores the contrasting views of Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau on human nature in the state of nature. Hobbes envisions a life that is 'nasty, brutish, and short,' marked by perpetual conflict, while Rousseau paints a more peaceful picture of humans living contentedly with basic needs. The script delves into Rousseau's perspective, highlighting qualities like free will, self-perfection, and pity, which he believes contribute to a more harmonious existence. It invites viewers to consider the spectrum of human nature rather than a strict dichotomy between Hobbesian and Rousseauvian theories.

Takeaways

• 🌿 Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau are often viewed as philosophical rivals with differing views on human nature and the state of nature.
• 📚 Both philosophers agree that the state of nature represents a hypothetical scenario of human life before the development of society and civilization.
• 🗣️ Hobbes famously described life in the state of nature as 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short,' characterized by a constant state of war and violence among humans.
• 🌳 Rousseau, in contrast, depicted humans in the state of nature as content, with few needs, living a peaceful life under an oak tree, satisfying basic needs from nature itself.
• 🤔 Rousseau suggests that Hobbes' view of natural man may be biased by his societal context, where concepts like honor and success influence perception.
• 🏡 Rousseau argues that in the state of nature, there is little conflict over property because property as we know it does not exist.
• 👊 While Rousseau acknowledges the possibility of individual conflicts, he believes that large-scale conflicts are more prevalent in 'civilized' societies.
• 🆓 Rousseau identifies three key qualities of humans in the state of nature: free will, the faculty of self-perfection, and pity.
• 🔄 The faculty of self-perfection, according to Rousseau, could be the driving force that leads humans out of the peaceful state of nature in pursuit of more.
• 💔 Rousseau suggests that this pursuit of self-improvement and desire for more is the source of all human misfortunes, contrasting with Hobbes' grim view of human nature.
• ❤️ Pity, or the natural sentiment of concern for fellow humans, is highlighted by Rousseau as a counterbalance to Hobbes' depiction of humans as inherently hateful and violent.

Q & A

What is the state of nature according to the philosophers discussed in the script?

The state of nature refers to the hypothetical condition of human existence before the development of society and civilization, where life is devoid of societal structures and laws.

How does Thomas Hobbes describe life in the state of nature?

Hobbes depicts life in the state of nature as 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short,' characterized by a constant state of war among humans marked by violence and murder.

What is Jean-Jacques Rousseau's perspective on life in the state of nature?

Rousseau envisions a more peaceful state of nature where humans are content with their basic needs being met, living a simple life under an oak tree, and not engaging in large-scale conflicts.

What are the three basic needs Rousseau suggests are present in the state of nature?

According to Rousseau, the three basic needs in the state of nature are food, water, and shelter.

How does Rousseau's view of human nature differ from Hobbes'?

Rousseau sees humans in the state of nature as essentially good and content with their lives, in contrast to Hobbes' view of humans as inherently violent and in constant conflict.

What does Rousseau attribute the discrepancy in views on human nature between Hobbes and himself to?

Rousseau believes that Hobbes' view is biased by his post-societal perspective, influenced by societal concepts of honor, success, and ownership, which are not present in the state of nature.

What are the three important qualities of the natural person that Rousseau mentions in his work?

The three qualities Rousseau mentions are free will, the faculty of self-perfection, and pity.

How does the faculty of self-perfection, as described by Rousseau, contribute to humans leaving the state of nature?

The faculty of self-perfection drives humans to seek more than what is naturally provided, leading to the development of society, law, and technology, and thus moving away from the tranquil life in the state of nature.

What role does pity play in Rousseau's view of human nature?

Pity, according to Rousseau, is a natural sentiment that moderates self-love and contributes to the mutual preservation of the human species, suggesting a capacity for empathy and care for others.

How does the script suggest we should approach the debate between Hobbes' and Rousseau's views on human nature?

The script encourages viewers to consider both perspectives and engage in a discussion, implying that there may not be a clear winner and that understanding human nature could be a matter of spectrum rather than dichotomy.

What does the script suggest about the relationship between human nature and societal influences?

The script implies that societal influences can corrupt or alter the natural state of human beings, with Rousseau arguing that the natural person is not corrupted by societal concepts and only knows the bare necessities.

Outlines

00:00

🌿 The State of Nature Debate

This paragraph introduces the contrasting views of Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau on the state of nature. It explains the concept of the state of nature as the time before society and civilization, and summarizes Hobbes' perspective that life in this state would be 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.' The paragraph also mentions Rousseau's different view, suggesting that humans in the state of nature would be content with their basic needs met, and less prone to conflict due to the absence of societal constructs like property and honor.

05:01

🤔 Rousseau's Vision of Human Nature

The second paragraph delves deeper into Rousseau's perspective on human nature in the state of nature. It contrasts Hobbes' view of humans as inherently violent with Rousseau's depiction of humans as content and self-sufficient, with minimal needs. The paragraph discusses Rousseau's belief that humans possess free will and the faculty of self-perfection, which could have led to the departure from the state of nature in pursuit of improvement. It also touches on the potential for conflict in the state of nature, but argues that these would be limited compared to the conflicts in civilized societies. The paragraph concludes by highlighting three key qualities of human nature according to Rousseau: free will, self-improvement, and the natural sentiment of pity, which contributes to mutual preservation.

Keywords

💡Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. In the context of the video, philosophy is used to explore the contrasting views of Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau on human nature and the state of nature, which is central to the video's theme.

💡Political Science

Political Science is the study of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior. The script mentions political science as a field where students are likely to encounter the ideas of Hobbes and Rousseau, emphasizing their influence on political thought and the video's focus on their political philosophies.

💡State of Nature

The state of nature refers to a hypothetical condition of human life before the development of societies and civilizations. The video discusses this concept as the starting point for both Hobbes and Rousseau's theories, with contrasting views on what life would be like in such a state.

💡Thomas Hobbes

Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher known for his work on political philosophy, particularly his book 'Leviathan.' The script contrasts Hobbes' view of the state of nature as 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short,' highlighting his belief in the inherent conflict and violence of human nature.

💡Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer whose political philosophy influenced the Enlightenment in France and across Europe. The video presents Rousseau's perspective on the state of nature as one where humans are content and have relatively few needs, differing from Hobbes' view.

💡Human Nature

Human nature refers to the inherent characteristics and tendencies that define and motivate human behavior. The script explores the differing views of Hobbes and Rousseau on this concept, with Hobbes seeing humans as naturally violent and Rousseau viewing them as naturally content and uncorrupted.

💡Social Contract

The social contract is a theory, associated with Rousseau, that explains the origin of society as a mutually agreed-upon 'contract' to form a civil state. The script mentions Rousseau's 'Social Contract' as a work where he discusses human nature, but points out that other works provide more detailed insights into his views on the state of nature.

💡Inequality

Inequality refers to the unequal distribution of resources, opportunities, or outcomes among individuals or groups. The video discusses Rousseau's 'Discourse on the Origin of Inequality,' suggesting that the move away from the state of nature and the development of society led to increased inequality.

💡Free Will

Free will is the ability to make choices that are neither determined by natural causality nor predestined by fate or divine will. The script highlights Rousseau's view that humans possess free will, which distinguishes them from animals and contributes to their unique capacity for moral and ethical decision-making.

💡Self-Perfection

Self-perfection, as described by Rousseau, is the human drive to improve and develop beyond our natural state. The video explains how this drive could have led humans to leave the peaceful state of nature in pursuit of better shelter, clothing, tools, and resources, thus causing conflict and the loss of innocence.

💡Pity

Pity is a feeling of sorrow or compassion for the suffering or misfortune of others. The script discusses pity as a natural sentiment in humans that moderates self-love and contributes to mutual preservation, contrasting with Hobbes' view of humans as naturally hateful and violent.

Highlights

Thomas Hobbs and Jean-Jacques Rousseau are often depicted as philosophical rivals with contrasting views on human nature.

Both philosophers agree that the starting point for understanding human nature is the 'state of nature', a theoretical time before societal development.

Hobbes describes life in the state of nature as 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short', characterized by constant conflict and violence.

Rousseau presents a different view, picturing humans in the state of nature as content and self-sufficient, with basic needs easily met by nature.

Rousseau suggests that Hobbes' perspective may be biased by his societal context, which includes concepts of honor and material ownership.

In Rousseau's view, natural humans, uncorrupted by societal constructs, would have minimal conflicts over property due to the lack of property concepts.

Rousseau acknowledges the possibility of individual conflicts in the state of nature but contrasts it with the scale of conflicts in civilized societies.

Rousseau's work 'Discourse on the Origin of Inequality' and 'The State of War' provide a deeper exploration of the state of nature compared to 'The Social Contract'.

Rousseau identifies three key qualities of natural humans: free will, the faculty of self-perfection, and pity.

Free will allows humans to make choices beyond instinct, unlike animals that act solely on impulse.

The faculty of self-perfection is a drive for self-improvement, which may have led humans to leave the peaceful state of nature.

Pity, or compassion, is a natural sentiment that contributes to the mutual preservation of the human species, contrasting Hobbes' grim depiction of human interactions.

Rousseau's theory suggests that inherent human qualities could lead to both the advancement and the misfortunes of humanity.

The debate between Hobbes' and Rousseau's views on human nature is ongoing, with no clear winner, leaving interpretation to individuals.

The video encourages viewers to engage in the discussion about which theory of human nature they prefer, reflecting on the complexity of human behavior.

The presenter personally believes that human nature is a spectrum, incorporating elements from both Hobbes' and Rousseau's perspectives.

Transcripts

if you've ever taken a philosophy or

political science class you've probably

come across Thomas Hobbs and Jean Jac

rouso they're often painted as rivals or

opposites and that depiction is often

attributed to their conflicting views on

human nature but they do agree on one

thing the starting point both

philosophers look at what life might be

for humans in the state of nature the

state of nature is just what it sounds

like it's the time before society and

civilization back when we first emerged

as a species it's not even like the

Flintstones because they had a society

set up the state of nature is what life

would be for us as humans before

literally anything resembling

development took place what do you

suppose this life would be like we

already did a video on what Hobbs thinks

let's sum it up with his famous quote

that life for man in the state of nature

would be solitary poor nasty brutish and

short with no laws or Society Humanity

would be in a constant state of war with

one another and our lives would be

marked by violence and murder but rouso

thought differently now if you're like

me you might have thought rouso talks

about human nature in his most famous

work on the social contract and while

there is some mention of the state of

nature the real meat and potatoes can be

found in two other works the discourse

on the origin of inequality and the

state of War let's start by having rouso

paint a picture of what an average

person would be up to in the state of

nature according to him I see him

satisfying his hund under an oak tree

quenching his thirst at the first stream

finding his bed at the foot of the same

tree that supplied his meal and thus all

his needs are satisfied so this is a

pretty Far Cry from hobbs' picture of a

barbarian out there killing other people

Russo's natural person seems content and

with relatively few needs now the

discrepancy here might be because Hobbs

is viewing the natural man through his

own biased posts societal lens according

to rouso because Hobbs lived in a

society a society where you have ideas

such as honor and success a society

where you own your own place and you own

a bunch of goods it's a Society where

there's more than just the three basic

needs of food water and shelter the

natural man has not been corrupted by

such things they only know sleep food

and water the bare necessities so really

there's not going to be a conflict over

property because there isn't really

property to begin with now rouso is not

naive and he admits that there are

possibilities of individual conflict

here and there but considering how much

more large scale conflicts are in quote

unquote civilized societies we really

got to be one ing which is more barbaric

I find it conceivable that in the

quarrels that can arise in the state of

nature and where there is no one to

arbitrate an irritated man could

sometimes kill another either openly or

by surprise thus a quarrel begins and

ends in a single day and there can be

fights and murders but never or very

rarely lengthy enties and Wars so yeah

maybe there's a fight over an orange or

something but the biggest Wars in human

history were not about a fight over food

water or shelter they were often about

ideas abstract IDE is that the natural

person would not even know about at this

time I want to talk about three

important qualities of this natural

person that rouso mentions in his work

and these qualities are not just limited

to the Natural person they can be found

even today which might say something to

the effect of human nature the First

Quality is that of Free Will and the

ability to choose in any animal I see

nothing but an ingenious machine to

which Nature has given senses in order

for it to renew its strength and protect

itself to a certain point from all that

tends to destroy or disturb it I am

aware of precisely the same thing in the

human machine with the difference that

nature alone does everything in the

operations of an animal whereas man

contributes as a free agent to his own

operations so we're not always going to

act on impulse granted sometimes it's

hard to ignore the candy they

strategically place at the checkout line

for grocery stores but we also can show

restraint and choose not to indulge this

isn't the case for animals who will act

on Instinct alone although I don't know

I think my cat is pretty smart she

rations out her wet food and doesn't

just eat it all that once so maybe she's

choosing to show some restraint who

knows now the second quality of

importance is what rouso calls The

Faculty of self-perfection essentially

this is just our need to self-improve to

get better now this sounds like a good

thing right but unfortunately this

quality of self-perfection could have

led us to leave that state of nature we

were no longer satisfied with the

relaxing peaceful life we wanted to do

better for ourselves we wanted permanent

shelters clothes tools consistent food

and water land power Society law and you

you get the point it may be something

that could be considered good today but

for rouso it draws us out of that

peaceful life in the state of nature

this distinctive and almost unlimited

faculty is the source of all man's

misfortunes that this is what by Dent of

time draws him out of that original

condition in which he would pass

tranquil and innocent days and

eventually makes him a tyrant over

himself and nature so everything is good

in the original state of nature it's

peaceful we all just eat and drink what

nature gives us and then we choose a

branch we like and snooze off but then

this faculty makes us want more and more

until we're out of that state now if

this is inherent in us and the state of

nature is kind of doomed from the start

in a way is Hobbs right then but we

still have our last quality of human

nature to work with and that is pity

because really Hobbs paints a pretty

gruesome picture of humans fighting

humans and being hateful of one another

and while we can definitely see examples

of that today we also see examples of

the opposite we see concern for our

fellow human we see charity we see

generosity we all have loved ones we

care about it is therefore quite certain

that pity is a natural sentiment which

by moderating in each individual the

activity of the love of oneself

contributes to the mutual preservation

of the entire species so with these

three qualities besides maybe the second

one we see human nature not as

pessimistically as Hobs saw it taking

the fact that the natural human doesn't

have these desires that Society has

forced upon us and we could see where

Russo is coming from but this debate has

raged on and on and when you learn about

these guys in your class class you don't

really get a winner declared or at least

I hope your professor doesn't and leaves

it up to you guys and that's what I'm

going to do I'm going to let you guys

duke it out in the comments below to

decide which Theory you prefer me

personally I think it's a bit of both

less of a dichotomy and more on a

spectrum it's like looking at Humanity

today you get a lot of good but also a

lot of bad but hey if you enjoyed this

video and want to support the channel be

sure to like and share it subscribe and

hit the Bell to be notified when a new

video drops and I wish you all a

beautiful rest of your day

[Music]