Question

In The Study Of Human Nature, read

Emile, pp. 110 – 113

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•What is Rousseau saying about the human condition?

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•How does he sound different from Hobbes and Hume?

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•What might his assumptions be?

Answer 1

He explores that natural man would be roving individuals,there would be no permanent realtionships,but a loose companionship,there would be no love,no family,no morality,no poperty;people would be free and innocent.When he says this ,he is arguing that people were actually good in nature,but it is only the society that has made people selfish.In the state of nature,people lived with harmony with one another and with nature.But later on when they came into societies,that created problems.

H eis different from Hobbe's and Hume because Hobbe's said that the state of nature was one in which life was solitary,poor,nasty,brutal,selfish and short.Since there were no laws to restrain people ,men would be constantly competing with each other.Rousseau disagreed with Hobbe's because he thinks that people's ignorance keeps them from doing wrong.According to Hume's theory of mind,the passions(emotions,feelings,desires) are impressions rather than ideas.But Rosseau thinks that we have two feelings -one is love for oneself which develops in the society,especially after the institution of property.Another one is pity or sympathy which helps them not to hurt themselves.Reason develops because of the need for passion which leads to human development.

Finally Rosseau assumes that inequality only arises with civilization.There are two types of inequality among the species ,they are natural inequality and moral/political inequality.Inequality grows from human minds and settles with property and laws.