POSC 101 Lecture 26: Part 2
22 Dec 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
- Rousseau Part 2
Path to liberation
❖ Compassion is the one natural virtue
❖ Recapturing it is the only way to elevate from transitional to liberated
❖ If compassion was combined with civilization
➢ Change would be possible
❖ People have to realize they are in slavery
❖ Must find our true selves by freeing ourselves from the layers of civilization
❖ Establish a just legal basis under moral authority in a new form of civil society (The
Social Contract)
❖ People must subordinate their private goals to the common good
➢ Organic principle- the good life- complete interdependence
■ Neither estrangement or domination will happen because all people will
be dependent on the community
■ Welfare of the individual merges with the collective welfare provides life,
liberty and estate to everyone… not just a few
❖ Cause of problems to humanity is civilization without compassion
❖ Pg 192 T- estrangement and domination
➢ estrangement - separated from what you truly should be
➢ Domination- you can’t be yourself because you are being dominated, have no
individualism
❖ Rousseau was more for the community than the individual
❖ It is unfair that because of the system some people will be richer than others
❖ To ensure life liberty and estate for everyone, we need community
❖ The Social Contract
➢ Agrees with Hobbes and locke that “an agreement” is necessary
➢ Disagrees with H and L methods of sovereignty
■ Hobbes (Government) Locke (civil society)
■ Provides unjust controls on people through civilization
■ R begins with the revolt of the people over despotism
■ Not any violent revolution will do
■ The people have to freely enter into a new agreement
➢ Creating a moral community that is free from the chains of corrupt civilization
➢ Sovereign authority rests with the community
■ Establishes the government
➢ Government executes the will of the community
➢ The agreement is valid through the “complete alienation” of individual rights to
the community
➢ Each transitional person gives up totality of his rights to become liberated
■ These rights are given up to the sovereign community
■ Not government
Document Summary
Recapturing it is the only way to elevate from transitional to liberated. People have to realize they are in slavery. Must find our true selves by freeing ourselves from the layers of civilization. Establish a just legal basis under moral authority in a new form of civil society (the. People must subordinate their private goals to the common good. Organic principle- the good life- complete interdependence. Neither estrangement or domination will happen because all people will be dependent on the community. Welfare of the individual merges with the collective welfare provides life, liberty and estate to everyone not just a few. Cause of problems to humanity is civilization without compassion. Estrangement - separated from what you truly should be. Domination- you can"t be yourself because you are being dominated, have no. Creating a moral community that is free from the chains of corrupt civilization. Government executes the will of the community.
