jean-jacques rousseau · hum102 cultural encounters ii jean-jacques rousseau discourse on the...
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HUM102CulturalEncountersII
Jean-JacquesRousseauDiscourseontheOriginand
Founda2onsofInequalityamongMen
Dr.SandrineBertauxAssistantProfessorofHumani2esBoğaziçiUniversity11March2020
Jean-JacquesRousseau1712-1778
Ø A“Ci<zenofGeneva”;
Ø AmajorandcontroversialphilosopheroftheEnlightenment;
OutlineoftheLecture
§ Rousseau:anenlightenedaLackontheEnlightenment
§ TheSecondDiscourse:Aphilosophicalinquiry:Whatisman?ThethreestagesofthestateofnaturePropertyandthebirthofcivilsocietyThesocialcontracttheoryrevisited
TheEnlightenment
• TheEnlightenment,inFrenchLesLumières,the“centuryofphilosophes”(freethinkersvs.dogma),the“AgeofReason”(Rousseau,Kant,Smithinoursyllabus)
• Europeanintellectualmovement:Enlighteneduseofreasontouncovertheprinciplesofagoodgovernment,morality,andsocialorder;Ø Perfec<bilityofman;Aculturalproject:concertedefforttowriteforabroadaudience;RoleofAcademies:prizeessaycontestsRoleofSalonsØ Birthofa“publicsphere”
TheEncyclopédie1752-1771DenisDiderotTosummarizeandbringtoalargepublicphilosophical,scien<ficandtechnologicalknowledge
Aprolificwriter:onmusic,children’seduca<on,onpoli<cs,anovelist,amoralandpoli<cal
philosopher,apedagogue.Manyentriesonmusicandtheoneon“Poli<calEconomy”intheEncyclopédie1750DiscourseontheArtsandSciences1755DiscourseontheOriginandFounda2onsofInequality1761JulieortheNewHeloise1762OntheSocialContract;Emile1776Rousseau:JudgeofJean-JacquesReveriesoftheSolitaryWalkerConfessions
TheFirstDiscourse:DiscourseontheSciencesandtheArts
Ques<onbytheAcademyofDijon“HastheRestora<onoftheSciencesandtheArtsContributedtothePurifica<onsofMorals?”1750Rousseauwinneroftheprize
Theseconddiscourse:DiscourseontheOriginandFounda>onsofInequalityAmongMenQues<onbytheAcademyofDijon“WhatistheOriginofInequalityAmongMen,andIsItauthorizedbytheNaturalLaw?”
AmajorandcontroversialfigureoftheEnlightenment
• I.KantonRousseau“thenewtonofthemoralworld”
• VoltaireontheSecondDiscourse“Noonehaseveremployedsomuchintellecttopersuadementobebeasts.Inreadingyourworkoneisseizedwithadesiretowalkonfourpaws.However,asitismorethansixtyyearssinceIlostthathabit,Ifeel,unfortunately,thatitisimpossibleformetoresumeit.”
Rousseau’sradicalphilosophyintheSecondDiscourse
• Aninves<ga<onthroughreasonofhumanitypriortoreason(thestateofnatureinitspurity)
• AnaLackoncivilizedsociety;• AnaLackonreason:anenlightenedaLackonEnlightenment(“thefatalenlightenmentofcivilman”)
• Anepicureanaccountoftheinterac<onofhumansandnature(nodivineinterven<on)
“Knowyourself”TempleofApollo,Delphi,Greece
“Howcanthesourceofinequalityamongmenbeknownunlessonebeginsbyknowingmenthemselves?”(forewordtotheSecondDiscourse)
Whatisman?
“LikethestatueofGlaucus,which<me,seaandstormshaddisfiguredtosuchanextentthatitlookedlesslikeagodthanawildbeast,thehumansoul,alteredinthemidstofsocietybyathousandconstantlyrecurringcauses,bytheacquisi<onofamul<tudeofbitsofknowledgeandoferrors,bychangesthattookplaceintheconsPtuPonofbodies,bytheconstantimpactofthepassions,has,asitwere,changeditsappearancetothepointofbeingnearlyunrecognizable.”(foreword)
Stateofnature
“Thephilosopherswhohaveexaminedthefounda<onsofsocietyhaveallfeltthenecessityofreturningtothestateofnature,butnoneofthemhasreachedit.”They“havetransferredtothestateofnaturetheideasacquiredinsociety.Theyspokeofthesavageman,anditwasthecivilmantheydepicted.”(38)
Rousseau’sreformula<onoftheques<on:Whatisman?Aregressiveanalysis:
• “Origin”(inthestateofnature):empiricalstudyofmanvs.ahistoricaland<melessnatureoressenceofman
• “FoundaPons”(incivilsociety):causeofinequalityvs.norma<veapproachof“naturallaw”.
Philosophicalanthropology
vs.historyofman“Theinves<ga<onsthatmaybeundertaken
concerningthissubjectshouldnotbetakenforhistoricaltruths,butonlyforhypothe<calandcondi<onalreasonings,beLersuitedtosheddinglightonthenatureofthingsthanonpoin<ngouttheirtrueorigin,likethoseourphysicistsmakeeverydaywithregardtotheforma<onoftheworld”.(38-39)Ø Useofreasontoshowthattheprogressofreasonledtotheprogressofinequality(81)
WhythenistheneedtoinvesPgatethestateofnature?
Rousseau’sphilosophicalanthropology:• Todenaturalize/de-essen<alizeman;
• Todemonstratetheradicaldisjunc<onbetweenthe“naturalman”andthe“civilman”;
• Reasonandsociabilityarenotnatural,nottobefoundinanearlystageofthestateofnature.
“ForitisnolightunderstandingtoseparatewhatisoriginalfromwhatisarPficialinthepresentnatureofman,andtohaveaproperunderstandingofastatewhichnolongerexists,whichperhapsneverexisted,whichprobablyneverwillexist,andyetaboutwhichisnecessarytohaveaccurateno<onsinordertojudgeproperlyourownpresentstate.”(foreword)
TwokindsofInequalityinmankind(37-38)
• NaturalorPhysicalInequality
Ø establishedbynatureØ age,health,bodily
strength,andquali<esofmindorsoul”
• MoralorPoliPcalInequality
Ø ins<tutedby“conven<on”and“authorizedbytheconsentofmen”
Ø Privileges(richer,morehonored,morepowerful)
Ø Servitudeofthepoorerandweaker
No“essen<alconnec<on”betweenthetwokindsofinequality
Whatisthesourceofnaturalinequality:tautologicalques<onfortheanswerisintheques<on“Thereisnopointinaskingwhatthesourceofnaturalinequalityis,becausetheanswerwouldbefoundenunciatedinthesimpledefini<onoftheword.”(38)Connec<onbetweenthetwokindsofinequality?No“essen<alconnec<on”“Aques<ongoodtodiscussamongslavewithinearshotoftheirmasters”(38)
• Naturalinequalityisnottheonefoundinthestateofnaturebuttheoneobservedindependentlyofconven<onsandins<tu<ons;
• ConvenPonalinequality:theoneestablishedbycustomsandlawsthatis,ar<ficiallycreatedbymen.
WhatisthesubjectoftheSecondDiscourse?
“Tomark,intheprogressofthings,themomentwhen,righttakingplaceofviolence,naturewassubjectedtothelaw.Toexplainthesequenceofwondersbywhichthestrongcouldresolvetoservetheweak,andthepeopletobuyimaginaryreposeatthepriceoffelicity”.Ø Thelegi<macyofmoralandpoli<calinequality.
Threestagesinthedevelopmentofmankind
• -primi<ve,isolatedcondi<onofnature:nolanguage,nofamily,noreason,nolove.
• -slowdevelopmentoffamilies,na<onsandquasi-property.Thebestperiod
• -developmentofagricultureandmetallurgy,divisionoflaborandinven<onofproperty
Stateofnature:earlystage
• Earlystateofnature:self-preserva<on,fulfillingbasicneeds
• “Suchwasthecondi<onofmaninhisnascentstage;suchwasthelifeofananimallimitedatfirsttopuresensa<ons”(60).
• Noreason,nofamily,nolove:• “thetwosexesnolongertookcognizanceofoneanother,andeventhechildnolongermeantanythingtothemotheronceitcoulddowithouther.”(60)
Firstrevolu<on:thesocializa<onofman
• Emergenceoffamilies“commonhabita<ons”(huts);“firstdifferenceinthelifestyleofthetwosexes”,loveandjealousy.
• Developmentofna<ons;• developmentoflanguage;quasi-property.• Songsanddances:“firststeptowardinequality”(64)
Thebeststage
• «Manyhavehastenedtoconcludethatmanisnaturallycruel,andthatheneedsciviliza<oninordertosomenhim.Onthecontrary,nothingissogentleasmaninhisprimi<vestate,when,placedbynatureatanequaldistancefromthestupidityofbrutesandthefatalenlightenmentofcivilman..»
Property:Latestageofthestateofnatureandbirthofcivilsociety
• “thefirstpersonwho,havingenclosedaplotofland,tookitintohisheadtosaythisismineandfoundpeoplesimpleenoughtobelievehim,wasthetruefounderofcivilsociety.”(60)
• “Fruitsoftheearthbelongtoall”• Propertyasusurpa<on(vsJohnLocke)• “Emergingsocietygavewaytothemosthorriblestateofwar”(68)(vs.Hobbesabsolutesovereign)
NaturalManvs.CivilMan
NaturalMan• Amourdesoi(selflove)• Pity• Independence• Noorquasi-property• equality
CivilMan• Amourpropre(loveof
oneself)• Dependency• Comparisonanddis<nc<on• Property(asusurpa<on):
legi<mizedbylaw• Notstrongandweakbut
poorandrich• Sociallyins<tutedinequality
Whichpoli<calins<tu<onsforthecivilman?
• OntheSocialContract(1762)“Manisbornfreebuteverywhereisinchains”• Socialcontracttoreconcilefreedom(vsdomina<on)andequality(vs.conven<onalinequality).
• Popularsovereigntyvs.theenlighteneddespotofKant