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Summary Rousseau Human Nature Political Theory from Hobbes (PO201)
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ROUSSEAU - SOCIAL INEQUALITYIntro to Rousseau:
Rousseau, succeeding the likes of Hobbes and Locke, is a critic of civilisation and culture,
concerned with understanding the evil and vices which stem from the development of arts
and sciences.
REVISION QUESTIONS – HUMAN NATURE
Natural characteristics of humans in Rousseau’s opinion
-Rousseau, in essence, interprets human beings as good in nature, but corrupted by the
societies in which they are a part of. This can be seen in his four characteristics which
natural man possess.
Firstly, and primarily, it is care for self-preservation.
Secondly, there is the feeling of pity, whereby you do not seek others to be harmed
Thirdly, it is free will, thus to do as you please without constraint
Fourthly,
-Amour de soi is natural to humans, as it gives us the drive to self-preserve and fulfil our
basic needs biologically for food, water and shelter.
Difference between amour de soi and amour propre
Both forms of self-love which humans are possessed by
1. Amour de soi is presented by Rousseau as a somewhat primitive theory, which is
wholly concerned with things which provide for our own happiness, comfort and/or
survival (Delaney,2017).
2. The Second Discourse demonstrates this form of self-love is organic and natural in
contrast to Amour proper, which constitutes a passion for the recognition and
approval of others in attaining self-love.
3. Rousseau traces amour propre to village festivals whereby competitions to be the
best in art forms such as singing made villagers acutely aware of how they were
being perceived.
Roles of amour de soi/amour propre
-The role of Amour de soi is interpreted by Rousseau as concerned primarily with moral
identity.
- Living closer to nature, in a basic form, enables amour de soi to flourish, as humans do not
need another to provide for themselves. (Delaney, 2017)
-Amour-proper role is interpreted by Rousseau as a wholly negative concept. This can be
seen in that as society and civilisation developed, it engulfed the way in which humans
receive self-love.
-This can be seen initially in his association with the term with competition emerging
between men to win the sexual favour of females within society (Rousseau, Emile,
This can be seen as it produces a climate where people depend on and desire the approval
and respect of others. Rousseau’s belief that this concept is dangerous is plausible, as it
creates an environment by which self-love is fuelled by the good opinions of others (Bass,
2013).
Role of amour propre in Rousseau’s theory
, ROUSSEAU - SOCIAL INEQUALITY
Scholars have focused on Rousseau’s amour propre being correctly identified as negative as
it opens up the need for human comparison. This is problematic in creating constant
competitiveness to not just be valued by others, but to be seen as superior to them.
-Amour propre becomes worse as civilisation develops more
-Rousseau’s Discourse on Inequality demonstrates this in which the development of
agriculture and private property coincided with inequality
Was Rousseau right about human nature and how humans became corrupted?
In terms of…
Being dangerous: Yes
-Very dangerous - exacting recognition from others, disregarding their worth, and
demanding subordination. Because we are constantly surrounded by selfies and
instagram 24/7, something Rousseau wouldn't have had in his time.
Consume us and begins to dictate other aspects of our lives… in modern day super
prevalent
Social media acts as place to escape for those who want to be perceived differently
than the way they are seen in the real world. In some cases however, people are too
afraid to post exactly what they want and tend to pretend to be someone else on social
media because of the constant worried about the way others will perceive them.
Corrodes our freedom and destroys individual authenticity.
On a small scale: No but it isn’t on a small scale as urbanisation occurs and society just
expands
-Not hugely problematic if seeking small amounts of recognition - Starts off small as just
wanting to be recognition…so its harmless and insignificant in small form
-However, Rousseau is correct in that society and socialisation has amplified the scale to an
extreme where it is inescapable.
Rousseau quote: it rarely does good without evil (Emile, 536)
Critical analysis: Amour propre as being good
-Can be manipulated to function as virtues which benefit the community (Mclendon 2009)
- Cooper, for example, argues that amour-propre “is a necessary condition for many good
things (Cooper 1999)
-Neuhouser - that “rationality, morality, and freedom—subjectivity itself—would be
impossible for humans if it were not for amour-propre (Neuhouser 2008)
-If humans didn’t have the drive for competition and standing, the
socialization between humans would not happen as we require interaction
to hold comparison between ourselves and our peers.
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