Jean Jacques Rousseau Flashcards
Essays written by Rousseau which changed his life
Discourse on science and arts
Discourse on origin of inequality
Articles written by Rousseau
Encyclopaedia of Diderot
Discourse on political economy (important)
Books by Rousseau
Social contract -1762
“Emile “or “On education” - 1762
Confessions(his autobiography , published after his death in 1782)
How did Rousseau live his last years ?
Lived life of fugitive and loneliness in last years, abandoned by friends, and haunted by the powers, he became paranoid
Human nature according to Rousseau
Positive views of human nature. Man by nature, only have to emotions or feelings- self-love and Pity( compassion for others)
But human nature was corrupted by modern civilisation
Man lived as noble savages before the advent of modern civilisation . He lived in peace with himself and others. Neither enmity nor friendship.
State of nature according to Rousseau
In the state of nature, man lived life of noble savage- Prri social human being living before emergence of civil society
It was asocial, amoral, isolated living.
Man lived for himself and was not bothered about what others think of him.
It was isolated living of human without language, society and private property

Everyone was judge only for himself .
Life in state of nature was frugal , lazy, contended, peaceful and isolated
Whose idea gave rise to the idea of positive liberty
Rousseau’s idea of general will give rise to the idea of positive liberty. This was used by the facists as well as a totalitarian state to justify their regimes
According to Rousseau , how did civilisation ruin the state of nature
With the progress of civilisation, settled life, society and private property the bliss of life in the state of nature was lost. Those having more natural abilities and log accumulated more property. This created inequality in society . Those having property dominated those without property, dominant classmate, loss of society to protect private property. Man started living in the opinion of others. People develop social classes., competition, vanity, jealousness etc . Does man lost both political and personal liberty. Politically subjugated by few dominant people and personally living in opinion of others. Thus civilisation corrupted the blissful life of man in state of nature. It debased human nature.
What is solution Russeau give to fix the society
His social contract theory
Rousseau’s social contract theory
People as equal enter into contract with others and with all to Form community- Republic or body politic- a political community.
Individual subsumed their powers, rights and possessions, identity to the community, and becomes its indivisible part.
By joining the community de los natural freedom, but gained civic and moral freedom.
As equal part of test of rain community, each member got common force to protection , equal citizenship, sovereignty, civil liberty, moral freedom, identity, forum for just and moral act.
The community and each of its members are directed by the general will which is the synthesis of the real wills of all those joining the community through social contract.
All laws and policies flow from the general will of the community.
By obeying laws emanating from the general will, they gain moral freedom.
Since they are not, obeying anyone else, but themselves they also gain political freedom. People self-government themselves.
The community is sovereign which is vested in each member in equal amount .
Features of social contract of Rousseau
Not a real event
Not one time, but constant process
Popular sovereignty - the community is sovereign, each of its member on equal fraction of that sovereignty. Thus the sovereignty is vested in people.
Direct democracy - the community legislate- Form laws and policies as a sovereign power. Legislative power is not delegated to any other body. People directly govern themselves.
Individuals acting as citizens guided by their higher self and invoking a real will arrive at general will through deliberations and communication.
Laws and policies flow from the general will of the community .
However, for execution and judicial functions , the community me delegate his functions to an elective aristocracy, the wise , virtuous and experienced .
Rousseau’s social contract claims to unite Liberty with authority, reason with feeling, morality with rationality and public interest with self interest. 
Types of will
Real or true will - will of our higher self which is rational , authentic , virtuous true self
Actual will- will of our lower self- irrational , impulsive , lustful etc. this represents our empirical self.
Private or individual will - reflect self interest of one individual or firm or entity .
Corporate will- reflects self interest of a group
General will - represent any collective real will of a political community.
Explain general will
Represent collective “real will” of a political community . It is always right - just , moral , serve the common interest and for the purpose of common good .
General will is the synthesis of real wills of all the members of a sovereign political community. It is embodiment of altruism .
It represents sovereignty of the political community formed by the social contract.
As citizen of the political community which the individual has formed through social contract, he is guided by is higher self in walking his real will. therefore in arriving at the general will the individual act as a citizen and not as a private person.
Who said this “ ownership of property is the performance of inequality and protection of private property rights is enshrinement of inequality by the state”
Rousseau
Who said this ,” man is born, free and everywhere he is in chains” explain
Rousseau
Rousseau depicts the dilemma of human condition in modern society. Man or born as free and equal is segregated, branded, normalised and identified on the basis of sex, colour, nationality, material, possessions, success, and all other parameters, socially constructed to give privilege and domination to few over. Unfortunate many. Hence, the man who is born free, find himself everywhere constrained, differentiated, dominated, denied, equal rights and liberties. Thus he found himself everywhere in chains. Those chains are not nature of a social. Man has chanined other men. This is the tragedy of modern civilisation and society. Despite its tremendous material progression., it has failed to give back the freedom to men as was his right as a free and equal soul when he was born
