AP+Rousseau

Term: Rousseau

AUDIENCE: (Amber George) Rousseau outreached to many people with his philosophies, but none to more than those who were living in France during the French Revolution. His audience were those who looked for changes in the government, and those who saw flaws in the system. His point of trying to show that " no laws are binding unless agreed upon by the people" ( Guisepi). was how he got those who felt the government was cheating them involved in his words. He also wanted to reach out to those who many not realize how they were being cheated. By using certain phrases and strong, convincing diction, he was able to show those people his ideas and get them interested, as well as get their support. One could also say that his audience was also the government he talked about in many of his writings, in hopes they would see his points and change their system. He also talks about the "art" of education, and how from the very beginning, man should "begin learning to deserve to live" (Rousseau). His audience here could be considered that of an existentialist, or someone who is looking for a better or different way to live their life. The philosophy of Rousseau has many different audiences, since he covers such a wide group of interests.

Guisepi, Robert A. "ROUSSEAU, Jean-Jacques (1712-78)." //World History Essays From Prehistory To The Present//. History World International. Web. 14 Oct. 2011.

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. //Emile//. London: Dent, 1974. Print.

CULTURE: (Ally Barton) Rousseau does not have a preference on culture itself. “That he was not French is an important fact about him, for unlike most writers in French he was never an admirer of French culture, or indeed of any culture” (Magee 126). Rousseau began to influence the philosophy of enlightenment he argued “that all one needs to know about God has been revealed in nature or in one’s own conscience” (Closson). He has often been called the father of the French revolution, because he was part of a “movement that exalted the worship of reason and attempted to purge the clergy and Christianity form French culture” (Closson). Rousseau’s idea of natural theology helped provide a framework that helped with rejecting special revelation even though he was not around for the revolution itself. His ideas have had the most impact outside of France. After Rousseau’s death his natural theology continues to play a significant role in determining our society’s views of human nature. Rousseau’s look on culture has become a huge part of today, “it is important to consider the thoughts of Rousseau and see how they impact our culture today, especially in the realm of education” (Closson). His ideas have also become a target of study for the first time. Many people look at it that in his feeling of discomfort with culture, the cultured man is degenerate. Rousseau believes that the entire history of civilization is a betrayal because of culture. So all together Rousseau does not believe in culture but his ideas had huge effect on many different ideas of culture.

Magee, Bryan. //The Story of Philosophy//. New York: DK Publishing, Inc. 1998. Print. Closson, Don. //Rousseau: An Interesting Madman.// []

AIM (Rofida Khairalla) Within his writing, Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s aim is to persuade the audience that society has an effect on man’s perspective of the world. Rousseau developed many theories that included this thesis, in which he disused the effect of morality on social and academic issues. His essay, //A Discourse on the origin of Inequality//, is an example the incorporation of this thesis, exemplified when Rousseau argues, “…As every advance made by the human species removes it still farther from its primitive state, the more discoveries we make, the more we deprive our selves of the means of making the most important of all. Thus it is, in once sense, by our very study of man, that the knowledge of him is put out of our power” (Rousseau 43). Through discussing the “advance” of man, Rousseau clearly explains his aim: to make society more aware of its affects on the “Knowledge” man. Thus Rousseau is demonstrating that through the state of becoming civil, society gets eliminates the man’s natural form, and therefore effects the how humanity views the world. The more civil humanity becomes, the more the true “Power” of man is forgotten.

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. //The Social Contract and the Discourses.// New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993. Print

Historical (Paige Wellman)

Jean-Jacques Rousseau is known for his enigmatic ideas by perplexing many readers still to this day. Rousseau’s works have been given the name of “literary lights of Paris” (Fike, Larry) because his work has been known to spark the interest of many. Jean-Jacques Rousseau relates his work to the question between natural man and man in a state of nature. “One is to retreat into a state of nature, as expressed by the yearning Rousseau in his novel Julie and also in the Discourse on the Arts and Sciences, and the other is to set up a just state, as expressed in the Social Contract.” (Fike, Larry.) Rousseau has had an affect on other authors works by wanting to give their readers the puzzling ideas like the mystery of man and freedom. Rousseau once said "man is born free, and is everywhere in chains" which has made people questions how much freedom the human race is really given. “He has had an immense influence on modern culture, both directly and through his influences on other philosophers such as Immanuel Kant. A philosopher of the Enlightenment, his writings helped catalyze the French Revolution, while his operas inspired the King of France to offer him a court position.” (epistemelinks) Rousseau has been a huge influence saying humans are naturally good, yet corrupted by their social environments and the choices they make in them. Still to this day people have been taking on the task to try to understand Rousseau’s work and to complete many mysterious works as well.

Fike, Larry. JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU AND CONTEMPORARY CULTURAL SCHIZOPHRENIA. 26 September 2010. []

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