Rousseau and the Revolt Against Reason: Readings and Study Questions

Assignment: The Search for Lost Innocence - Rousseau as Primitivist Readings: Rousseau, Discourse on the Origins of Inequality, entire. Pay particular attention to notes i, 1 & s Okin, Women in Western Political Thought, pp. !1"" Rousseau, #mile, ch. $, %&ophie% 'class han(out) Assignment: The Fundamental Compact Readings: Rousseau, The &ocial *ontract, +ooks I!II Assignment: Rousseau and the Idealization of the State Readings: Rousseau, The &ocial *ontract, +ooks III!I$ ST !" # $STI%&S 1.) *ompare Rousseau,s (epiction of the state of nature -ith those of .o//es an( 0ocke. What are the essential an( original traits of natural man1 2) 3i4en his positi4e 4ie- of our original natures, ho- (oes Rousseau account for the (e4elopment of a corrupt, morally (e/ase( society1 Does he seek to lea( us /ack to our primiti4e origins, or (oes he en4ision other solutions to the pro/lem of man against society1 #5plain your ans-er. 6) We kno- from the Discourse on the Origins of Inequality that -omen in the state of nature are as in(epen(ent as men. 7et Rousseau also claims that -omen are naturally place( un(er the rule of men. '&ophie han(out) Is Rousseau appealing to t-o (istinct an( contra(ictory i(eas of %nature% here1 8) What is the %general -ill1% .o- is it (istinguishe( from the %-ill of all%1 Is this a useful /asis for a political theory1 9) :lthough the general -ill cannot /e corrupte(, the ma;ority can /e misle( in its interpretation of that -ill. Is Rousseau,s solution to this pro/lem ! the 0a-gi4er ! as para(o5ical a creature as Plato<s philosopher king=queen1 ") .o- (oes Rousseau (efine so4ereignty1 Where (oes so4ereignty lie in his state1 Is his un(erstan(ing of so4ereignty meaningfully (ifferent from 0ocke,s1 >) Rousseau o-es many of his i(eas regar(ing so4ereignty, e.g., that it is a/solute an( in(i4isi/le, to Thomas .o//es. *an he 'Rousseau) reconcile the free(om of the in(i4i(ual -ith such notions1 Is so4ereignty limite( in any -ay1 ?) What are the rights of in(i4i(uals in Rousseau,s state of nature1 What happens to these rights -hen in(i4i(uals associate themsel4es in the social contract1 ) What is the significance of separating the social pact %/y -hich people /ecome a people% from the acts -hich esta/lish their la-s an( their go4ernment1 1@) .o- (oes Rousseau (efine la-1 What (istinct types of la- are enumerate( in The &ocial *ontract1 11) Does Rousseau offer a single, self!consistent 4ie- of human free(om in The &ocial *ontract1 12) .o- (oes Rousseau 4ie- the separation of church an( state1 Is it para(o5ical that one so concerne( -ith the (e4elopment of 4irtue an( the preser4ation of moral free(om shoul( consi(er %true *hristians% poor citiAens1 *ompare his i(eal ci4ic religion -ith Bachia4elli,s. 'Discourses +ook I, ch. 12) 16) What sort of relationships shoul( e5ist among male citiAens in Rousseau,s i(eal (emocratic state1 .o- are those relations (ifferent from those -hich shoul( e5ist /et-een hus/an( an( -ife1 .o- can the family form %a natural /ase on -hich to form con4entional ties% 'i.e., the ties of the social contract) -hen it is or(ere( so (ifferently from the i(eal state1 .as Rousseau ensure( that the family -ill function as an a(;unct to the state, an( not as a competing focus for in(i4i(uals, loyalties an( allegiance1 18) In +ook I, ch. " of The &ocial *ontract Rousseau argues that the articles of association -hich form the social contract amount to %the total alienation /y each associate of himself an( his rights to the -hole community%. The political state -hich emerges from this community shoul( /e so constitute( %that each

citiAen shall /e at the same time perfectly in(epen(ent of all his fello- citiAens an( e5cessi4ely (epen(ent upon the repu/lic...it is the po-er of the state alone -hich makes the free(om of its mem/ers.% 3i4en Rousseau,s i(ea of free(om 'question ?), (oes this social an( political prescription pro4i(e an a(equate safeguar( for in(i4i(ual li/erty1 #5plain your ans-er. 19) *an one fairly state that Rousseau seeks to restore the ancient polis community, or is his political theory stri4ing to-ar( a (ifferent goal1