Rousseau's Theory of the State - Pitzer College.
The state of nature, Rousseau argued, could only mean a primitive state preceding socialization; it is thus devoid of social traits such as pride, envy, or even fear of others. The state of nature, for Rousseau, is a morally neutral and peaceful condition in which (mainly) solitary individuals act according to their basic urges (for instance, hunger) as well as their natural desire for self.
Rousseau believed that man was good when in the state of nature (the state of all other animals, and the condition humankind was in before the creation of civilization and society), but is corrupted by society. This idea has often led to attributing the idea of the noble savage to Rousseau, an expression first used by John Dryden in The Conquest of Granada (1672). Rousseau, however, never used.
ROMANTICISM, NATURE, AND SELF- REFLECTION IN ROUSSEAU’S REVERIES OF A SOLITARY WALKER. Prabhu Venkataraman. ABSTRACT: In The Reveries of a Solitary Walker (RSW), Rousseau keeps a record of the thoughts, ideas, and reveries that freely run through his mind during his solitary walks. He finds that it is only when he is alone and not being disturbed that he is able to exist just for himself.
Rousseau, education and social evil: Thus man can evolve in the direction of good, of course, but also in trouble, because this is the flip side, because human creativity is coupled with the formation of social evil. The property ownership rights of certain objects, represents the extreme end of the state of nature.
Rousseau believes that the fundamental problem facing people’s capacity to leave the state of nature and enter a society in which their liberty is protected is the ability to “find a form of association that defends and protects the person and goods of each associate with all the common force, and by means of which each one, uniting with all, nevertheless obeys only himself and remains as.
But, Rousseau thought, people might consent to it in an effort to avoid the scary, war-like state of nature that Hobbes feared. Rousseau thought a social contract could be a solution to this.
In this essay, I will explore the concept of when the state of nature was located. In the process, I will seek to vindicate Locke's oft-attacked notion of the state of nature, and weaken many of Rousseau's critiques. Further, I will venture a guess how Locke, if given the opportunity, would have responded to some of Rousseau's attacks.