Jean-Jacques Rousseau Essay Jean Jacques Rousseau Essay Jean-Jacques Rousseau

1. Jean-Jacques Rousseau Essay
Jean–Jacques Rousseau had a theory of human nature that differed from all others. The way we
started, grew as a society, and live now, are totally different than what we have already learned this
semester. He thought of what is called a Social Contract Theory. This theory will be discussed in
this paper, especially in the aspects of personal freedom, the role of the intellect, human social and/or
spiritual relations, and the nature of the self.
How much personal freedom does a person have? Well, Rousseau would say that humans do have
personal freedom, but that freedom is hard to keep. He would say that, “Humans are
born free, and everywhere they are in chains.';(notes 11/4/99) To some, this would...show more
content...
Having possessions and property are caused by rational thinking, and those generalities create
inequalities, because there are the rich, who have all the possessions, and the poor, who have none,
but want the rich peoples’ things. If nobody was using reason, there would be no
disputes about personal items, because nothing would belong to anyone.
In other words, humans use reason all the time. Today, we think rationally. Even though Rousseau
believes that this is not the way to live, he admits that it does exist. Our personal freedom is driven
on pride now.
However, the way to correct things is not to go back to how things were, but to instead transform
into a new kind of people. We need to make progress, and choose to make that progress. He feels
that we need to stop the impersonalizing.
Rousseau also believes that the role of intellect is played off by the instincts of a person. In the
beginning, humans were not rational. They thought in the particulars of life. They saw a tree and
thought of it as a tree. They didn’t see a tree and think, “This is my tree.';
Through instincts, a human would go and kill an animal to eat, not order from a drive through.
They took care of things themselves. Intellect in this sense would tell a person to go and eat. It
would also have the program in its brain to know how to hunt and fish. The
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2. Topic #1 Jean–Jacques Rousseau makes the provocative claim that the transfer of sovereignty
involves in the election of representatives signifies a loss of freedom: "The instant a people
chooses representatives, it is no longer free." (On the Social Contract, p.103) Do you agree with
Rousseau? The book "On the Social Contract" published on 1762 by Jean–Jacques Rousseau is one
of his most important works, which points out the basis for a genuine political order and freedom.
One of Jean–Jacques Rousseau main ideas in this book is the significance of the loss of freedom.
According to Jean–Jacques Rousseau freedom is loss when people elect representatives . In my
personal opinion, I am not agreeing with the point of view of Jean–Jacques...show more content...
In today's society people elect representatives because those representatives defend people ideas and
have solutions to people needs. The fact of been able to elect any representative make our society a
democracy because we are free to elect who we want and everyone has the opportunity to express
their opinion by voting for a representative. Also this voting process is do every certain time and
representatives can be reelected a certain amount of time, giving the opportunity to everyone to be a
representative. Furthermore, people have also options to change a representative during his/her tern
if the representative does not show competence and responsibility at his/her job.
For me, freedom of expression is a matter of a majority. Laws should not be made by a small group
of people or only one person able to decide, laws should be made and decide by the ideas of the
majority in order to satisfy the majority of people possible in a society.
Moreover, when representatives are on the process of elections they have the opportunity to
express their goals and solutions for the needs of the society. This freedom of expression is
democracy. Possible representatives have time before elections to do campaigns and debate each
other ideas and goals, this help people decide which candidate best represent their ideas way of
thinking.
Even the right to decide for any candidate for representative is a demonstration of democracy and
freedom. People
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3. Jean Jacques Rousseau Essay
Jean–Jacques Rousseau "I was born to a family whose morals distinguished them from the people."
(Josephson 9) Jean–Jacques Rousseau was born in Geneva, Switzerland on June 28, 1712. He
became the son of Isaac Rousseau, a plebian class watchmaker, and Suzanne Bernard, the
daughter of a minister who died shortly after giving birth to him. Rousseau's baptism ceremony
was a traditional one held at St. Peter's Cathedral on July 4, 1712 by the reverend senebies. He had
an elder brother who had a "loose character", but Rousseau loved him anyway. At an early age,
Rousseau found a love for reading. His mother had an inheritance of some money and many
romantic books and novels, so those are the first that he read. He and his father...show more content...
He was next placed as an engraver in April 1725. His master was also a violent man like his father
who fed Rousseau poorly and often treated him harshly. The young boy developed a menial frame
of mind. This apprenticeship lasted for about four years with the first half consisting of stealing
and a lackey spirit, and the following half Rousseau's love for reading was revived. The more
miserable he became with his master, the more he read. He would play with the other boys on
free days, usually Sundays, and venture out of the city gates. He often came home just before the
drawbridge closed at sundown and twice had to sleep outside the city. On day on March 14,
1728, Rousseau was late and saw the drawbridge closing. He yelled to his uncle he would not be
returning to his master. Bernard did not try to stop the boy, who was just over sixteen when he
decided to make his journey. After wandering for several days he fell upon the Roman Catholic
priests at Consignon in Savoy. He was then turned over to Madame de Warens at Annecy, who sent
him to a school in Turin. He wandered several places but in 1730 eventually returned to Madame de
Warens. He spent eight years in her household and it was there that he fully developed his love and
taste for music, the enjoyment of nature, his passion for reading the English,
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4. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean–Jacques Rousseau's State of Nature is quite different compared to those of his predecessors
Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke. Rousseau asserts that his counterparts miscalculated the human
tendency of enacting in a state of war and violence, and provides a well thought out and persuasive
description of the superiority of his state of nature. Rousseau affirms the unlikelihood of his state of
nature but strongly claims that his method of thinking provides the most accurate depiction of what
humans were like without societal influences. Further analysis will prove Rousseau's success at
proving the origin of inequality in society. Rousseau begins his introspection and brainstorming by
offering two codes that regulate human behavior in the...show more content...
Hobbes and Thomas, for example, argued that humans became much better–off and peaceful after
getting rid of its natural state. For Rousseau, leaving the state or nature resulted in inequality and
gave rise to greedy and power–hungry societal ideologies. Rousseau states the "the most powerful
or the most miserable made of their strength or their needs a sort of right to another's goods,
equivalent, according to them, to the right of property, the destruction of equality was followed by
the most frightful disorder" (Rousseau, 68). One can easily see that Rousseau was not fond with the
social institutions which followed man's state of nature. He believes his way of thinking is a more
accurate representation since it leads into a Hobbesian society or in other words, Rousseau's state of
nature predates the previous philosopher's
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