Jean- Jacques Rousseau's work, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality expressed his strong concerns with personal freedom and the limitations society imposes on one's ability to live in a true state of nature. Rousseau acknowledged the limited freedoms of a "civil society" as dependent on the personal freedoms of others. However, Rousseau envisioned humans in their natural state, the state of nature. It is in this state that one is controlled purely by natural impulses as opposed to the learned behavior conditioned by society. This is perhaps why Rousseau displayed such contempt for 18th century France. It was during this European age of reason that people were groomed into model citizens, high education, fashion, politics, etc. Rousseau did not fit, or even desired to fit, the mold.
Rousseau was an idealist. He imagined people free in the state of nature. He painted a hypothetical scene of natural man who was not bound by the rules of society. Unlike his contemporaries, Rousseau......
Join Now or Login to view the rest of this paper.
Approximate Word Count: 2543
Approximate Pages: 10 (260 words per double-spaced page) |