First and Second Discourse. Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Return to the idea of happiness and where our souls have gone

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1 First majr critique f mdern sciety First and Secnd Discurse Jean-Jacques Russeau Platnic Return t the idea f happiness and where ur suls have gne Russeau = philspher f petry/music Pet = utsider f sciety and can speak better abut sciety Ideal man is NOT a philspher Ideal situatin f being = feeling at ne with nature Has a state f nature nt as influenced by civilizatin Mre animalistic (Hbbes and Lcke take civil man and just unclthes him) Natural man is mre f a beast Secnd Discurse = respnse t a public questin in Geneva (Switzerland) In rder t understand ills that afflict mdern life, we have t g back t what went wrng Lcke fcuses gvernment f prperty and selfishness Russeau realizes there shuld be a mre human aspect t gvernment happiness and virtue Getting and securing f stuff wn t make life better G back t natural state f virtue Main prblem = inequality rising

2 Bad fr Russeau Gd fr Lcke because it prmtes civil sciety Russeau claims it was better in state f nature and everyne was happier We civilized peple are unrecgnizable frm natural human nature Surce f ur inequality = changes that happened t men Russeau s natural man differs frm Lcke and Hbbes Feels cmpassin and desires self-presentatin Differs frm L and H s understanding because accrding t them, man nly desires t acquire Russeau s persn desn t have and cnceptin f acquiring f pwer (animalistic) Repugnance at seeing anther being harmed Natural man was simply an animal Didn t reasn dn t participate in natural law 2 srts f inequality = natural and plitical Mst advantageus animals are humans Simple beings eat, drink, sex Humans can perfect themselves, thugh Can take n nature and can better themselves thrugh different ways Man has dreams and ideals and can set gals fr themselves Man was brn free but everywhere he is in chains

3 As humans mve frm natural t Civil State they becme weak and feeble Dn t feed the birds because they will frget hw t hunt and take care f themselves Men can t retain the wild sensibility t frage in trying circumstances By making man civil, yu have weakened them In nature, man desn t knw what misery r prperty is Just because Hbbes admits that man is nt gd desn t mean they are evil Virtue f pity/cmpassin Reasn leads t vanity Separates frm all that bthers and afflicts him Vanity erects scial status/cmpetitin Thrwn back upn yurself Russeau s Glden Rule: d what is gd fr yu with the least pssible harm t thers N cncept f lve in nature Wmen created the ntin f lve because they want t be the dminant sex Self-interest men can frage, prtect Crruptin f civil sciety Want a certain man t stick arund, nt leave Language reasn vanity prperty sentiments f preference seeming (vs. being) Seeming = we play rles/wear masks Develpment f prperty is a gd thing fr Lcke but bad fr Russeau

4 Leads t claiming wnership f nature which leads t ther stuff like seeming Sets us apart frm nature First ylk f civilizatin in cmmdities Care mre abut what we dn t have Pssessin f things yu want dn t necessarily make yu happy Human desire is fleeting Pg 147 Wants vs. Needs Things that yu wanted degenerate int needs and when yu take them away, it s like yu re dying withut it New needs are thrust upn us (technlgy); artificial needs that are all cnsuming First step f inequality/vice sentiments f preference Related t develpment f material things Nthing is as gentle as the natural man First rulers f justice emerge when first need fr civil sciety emerges, thrugh cultivatin f land Divisin f being and seeing leads t dependence f new needs that are nt truly needful Peple wh speak mst ften f their freedm are merely rattling their chains Mdern freedm = artificial and enslaves humans Reestablishes Plat asserting that virtue = prduct f human develpment

5 Russeau emphasizes true freedm, nt theretical perfectin, n dealing with human affairs