The Harvard Classics; Volume 34

by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Genres: Philosophy

448 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1909

About the author

Genevan philosopher and writer Jean Jacques Rousseau held that society usually corrupts the essentially good individual; his works include The Social Contract and Émile (both 1762).

This important figure in the history contributed to political and moral psychology and influenced later thinkers. Own firmly negative view saw the post-hoc rationalizers of self-interest, apologists for various forms of tyranny, as playing a role in the modern alienation from natural impulse of humanity to compassion. The concern to find a way of preserving human freedom in a world of increasingly dependence for the satisfaction of their needs dominates work. This concerns a material dimension and a more important psychological dimensions. Rousseau a fact that in the modern world, humans come to derive their very sense of self from the opinions as corrosive of freedom and destructive of authenticity. In maturity, he principally explores the first political route, aimed at constructing institutions that allow for the co-existence of equal sovereign citizens in a community; the second route to achieving and protecting freedom, a project for child development and education, fosters autonomy and avoids the development of the most destructive forms of self-interest. Rousseau thinks or the possible co-existence of humans in relations of equality and freedom despite his consistent and overwhelming pessimism that humanity will escape from a dystopia of alienation, oppression, and unfreedom. In addition to contributions, Rousseau acted as a composer, a music theorist, the pioneer of modern autobiography, a novelist, and a botanist. Appreciation of the wonders of nature and his stress on the importance of emotion made Rousseau an influence on and anticipator of the romantic movement. To a very large extent, the interests and concerns that mark his work also inform these other activities, and contributions of Rousseau in ostensibly other fields often serve to illuminate his commitments and arguments.

Reviews

[Pastor Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I try to be very open and upfront about this: I HATE philosophy.

I don't mean that in the basic sense that some folks think of. But I mean that in the deeper, academic sense that is represented in this volume. I can only stand this stuff in small doses. Sometimes, I felt like I might scream in frustration with the rambling nonsense that much of this volume contained.

So, why 3 stars? Because this is very important stuff to be familiar with. Did I mention that I also hate broccoli? Just because I hate something (or maybe you think "hate" is too strong a word to use, so how about... "DESPISE"?) doesn't have a thing to do with whether I believe it is important and necessary. I despise this stuff. And I read every single word of it.

One star for it's importance, one star for the fact that SOME of it was bearable and even enjoyable in small chunks. And one star because nothing this important should be less than 3 stars.

"That's DUPLICITY!" Maybe, but it's the truth. Too many people only study what they enjoy studying. That attitude is really behind the modern illiteracy of the under 60 crowd. They enjoy video games, movies, sports, sleeping, smoking pot... And those who only do what they enjoy? They become Democrats and elect senile idiots like Joe Biden.

I think I've just ended my review with a spot of contemporary philosophical deduction and personal opinion. If not,... well, that's as close as it gets for me.

[Dylan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not fun to read, I'm not a fan of Hobbes or Rousseau. Voltaire and Descartes much cooler and smarter.