DVM2350 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Correlation Does Not Imply Causation
20 Aug 2016
School
Course
Professor
DVM 2305 lecture 2
September 16th 2015
Jacques Rousseau
-born in 1712
-discourse of society or something idk; argues that man is good by nature but is corrupted by
society and civilization
-society has taken a wrong direction — the more sophisticated we become the more harmful
we become
-1755; discourse on the origin of inequality; how humanity has defended from primitive
innocence to corrupt sophistication
-distinguishes the natural and artificial source of inequality
-natural inequality; were all born and have genetic differences (strength, intelligence)
-artificial inequality; from the conventions that govern society
-if we were able to rethink gender norms it is an artificial inequality (however men in that part
of Europe in the 1700s would not see it this way)
-well before Marx, Rousseau begins to write about the overlapping inequalities that derive
from genre norms, race, class, sexuality (intersectional issues)
-mostly interested in natural inequalities
-Utopia; he writes about forms of government that were alike to First Nations at the time (he
must have had contact with First Nations peoples)
-Rousseau says our first problem is class or conventions in society
-second problem is the introduction of property which introduces more inequality
-makes it necessary to allow men to make up laws around property
-they cause the level of conflict between land owner and ‘renter’
-unless you owned a certain amount of property you were unable to vote
-the idea that land could become property if one worked on it for for enough time and put
sweat into their land was abhorrent for Western European kings/nobles
-the philosophies of property and labour are what differentiates liberals and socialists
-after inequality takes place, they (the wealthy) develop social norms to entrench and
justify inequality
-Rousseau argues that we invent stories to make us all believe that this is with way
things are and what is happening is in everyone’s best interest
-1762; writes the Social Contract
-was a people’s constitution
-cities give up the right to work freely and move around wherever they want, etc to obtain a
passport and have security under one specific government
-citizens in exchange, want citizenship, education, freedom of speech, thought, religion, etc
-citizens give up a few things in order to be part of a larger collective
-if a state can be based on a genuine social contract, people would receive in exchange for
their social independence a better kind of freedom (represented by a higher body that
individuals would not be able to do alone)
-is made and obeyed by the citizens (citizens agree to live by rules that preserve justice)
-Rousseau on civil religion; argues that Christianity despite its truth, is useless because it is
directed to the unseen world and does nothing to teach citizens courage, patriotism, etc
-was a devout Christian and worships God (whose presence he feels most forcefully in
nature untouched by the hands of man)
-believes in consciousness as different than rationalism or thinking
-citizens cannot follow biblical authority (priests) or rationality (science) but conscience
(ethics, little voice)
-he is demonstrating an awareness of his awareness
! of !1 2
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Document Summary
Discourse of society or something idk; argues that man is good by nature but is corrupted by society and civilization. Society has taken a wrong direction the more sophisticated we become the more harmful we become. 1755; discourse on the origin of inequality; how humanity has defended from primitive innocence to corrupt sophistication. Distinguishes the natural and arti cial source of inequality. Natural inequality; were all born and have genetic differences (strength, intelligence) Arti cial inequality; from the conventions that govern society. If we were able to rethink gender norms it is an arti cial inequality (however men in that part of europe in the 1700s would not see it this way) Well before marx, rousseau begins to write about the overlapping inequalities that derive from genre norms, race, class, sexuality (intersectional issues) Utopia; he writes about forms of government that were alike to first nations at the time (he must have had contact with first nations peoples)
