An 18th-century French philosopher, Jean Jacques Rousseau brought forth ideas that challenged the status quo and fueled a revolution in political thought. We see that his ideas on individualism, governance, and the natural state of man shape our understanding of politics, education, society, and ourselves as humans.
In modern life, society focuses on constant progress and growth, where people move from savagery to prosperity and civilization. However, Rousseau argued in his discourse that this led to moral degeneracy and corruption. Rousseau thus offers his critique on two fronts; firstly that the state of nature is not a war of all against all, and secondly, that society is founded on a contract that is the problem rather than the solution.
Rousseau's ideas on the natural state of humans tackle issues we face today such as inequality, wealth disparities, and social class systems. He argues that humans were inherently good before civilization because we existed as simple-minded creatures with basic needs and a natural capacity for sympathy towards others, unstifled by modern life. This was the origin of the philosophical concept of the Noble Savage; materially simple, psychologically rich and exciting, and forming close-knit communities. People were independent and lived off of their own productive capacity.
This is of course in stark contrast to Thomas Hobbes, who theorized that life was harsh and cruel and that in the absence of a social contract, humans eventually fall into war and chaos. Rousseau’s idea can be observed in the aboriginal people groups pre-colonization, where the natives had a diverse community that thrived on farming, fishing, and hunting. They harvested in accordance with what they needed, ensuring the resources were kept at sustainable levels before moving to the next season. The natives adapted to the seasonal changes and worked with nature rather than exploiting and abusing it. Rousseau depicts the natural man as living in abundance and having no reason to compete as presented in the livelihood of indigenous groups of people.
The philosopher introduced ideas of “amour de soi-meme” or self-interest which is the natural desire for pleasure and overcoming suffering fueled by pity and “Amour propre” or the unnatural self-love arising from societal pressures breeding entitlement and self-recognition stemming from inequality and immorality. In a natural setting, man has no requirement for status as we only experience the world solely through our own senses, and this is unique to each individual. Therefore, Rousseau argued that with the formation of the civil society, our amour de soi-même quickly gives way to amour propre due to the loss of natural innocence and freedom as well as moral corruption worsened by oppressive governments that create power imbalances.
More recently, self-interest addresses materialism and consumerism, and amour de soi meme promotes a deeper connection to one's natural needs and prioritises well-being over the pursuit of material possessions and overconsumption. Amour propre is evident in the seeking of validation in social media which feeds into mental health issues, relying on external approval fosters insecurity and inadequacy as people compare themselves to idealised versions of people. This can be dangerous to one's well-being as it can negatively affect a person's self-image if they view someone’s importance based on their popularity hence resulting in loss of authenticity. Seeking forms of independent validation can aid in overcoming this concern, as well as practicing mindfulness, and focusing on self-compassion and self-acceptance to restore that sense of individuality.
Rousseau has widely influenced as well as critiqued The Social Contract. The social contract is essentially an implicit agreement between the members of the society and its governor or ruler that defines and limits the rights and duties of both sides. Historically, the social contract meant that powerful states such as monarchies and aristocracies held control over people, who traded their rights for security and protection. Rousseau disagreed and called this ‘the evil contract’, claiming this approach led to the loss of freedom, where society was controlled by an influential few. Instead, he proposed a society where the authority was placed on the collective people; the general will which represents what's best for the whole community taking into account the interests of each individual. He also advocated for the freedom of individuals where people actively participated in making the laws that they follow rather than being subjected to arbitrary and rigid laws.
To illustrate Rousseau’s idea of the social contract we turn to modern-day democracy whilst also highlighting issues concerned with it. A key concern in democracy is the oppression of minorities leading to inequalities and injustices where their interests are often overlooked or violated. Hence, Rousseau suggests instead a participatory democracy on the general will which challenges the mere majority rule in elections solely on ballot boxes. He advocated for civic education to ensure informed, rational decisions for the collective good which counters the potential “mob mentality” influence on the general will. Therefore each individual is motivated by amour de soi and not the corrosive amour propre, The general will does not promote the equality of property but rather the equality of citizenship and direct democracy where the community protects individual rights.
In summary, Rousseau was ahead of his time by advocating for individual freedom alongside political rule and claimed that if people are bound together by the general will, it brings about the possibility of sovereignty as well as individual freedom. As a result, Rousseau is still profoundly relevant to our modern struggles; ranging from self-image to governance.
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