Midterm: Rousseau And Frederick Douglass Flashcards
What was Rousseau’s Second Discourse?
-Geneva was the closest to his idea of society, focused his efforts there
-City-state in Italy
-Nature did not create inequality, man did—approximate “natural law”
What was Rousseau’s Ideal Society?
-Leader and people have the same interests
-No one is above the law
What are the aspects of a republic?
-Some type of representation for the people
-Guarantees social stability, common respect for the laws
What do you have to do to preserve freedom?
-No laws= no security= no freedom
-Republic= freedom= laws
-All people are equal by rights of nature and birth
What was man’s nature?
-We no longer see the human soul as a free thing
-Man was formed by nature
What was Rousseau’s task?
-Separate the original from the artificial—> natural man to slave-like state
-In order to judge the state we are in—> must have accurate notions
-Imagine life in a state of nature before society, only way to get through artificiality
What were the two principles?
-Pity—natural instinct to not watch people suffer
-Self-preservation
What are the two kinds of inequality?
-Natural: tall/short, things you are born with
-Moral/Political: access to participation, convention, different privileges enjoyed by some at the expense of others
What was Rousseau’s Discourse?
-Mark progress, moment when right became violence
-Nature subjected to the law
-Our actions corrupted our original state but it can’t be destroyed
What is the state of nature?
-Satisfies human need
-Not as prone to illnesses of our own making
How did man originally think?
-No time for relationships
-Savage man could turn off natural pity to survive
-Peaceful state of nature—only fought for food
What was progress of mind?
-Living in the moment, not having foresight or curiosity
-No sense of future
What was the final stage?
-We are already in this stage (wars, murder, crime)
-Self-reliance became difficult as food became less abundant
-Human population multiplied
-Humans can’t survive alone—became dependent on others to survive
-Natural Disasters
-Activated reason/foresight
What were the next stages?
-Self-preservation became difficult
-Dependence= trouble
-Man vs. man, man vs. animals
-Organized into family groups, people became less sharp
-Leisure time procured conveniences, first source of evil
What was the major discourse?
-Bonds tightened
-Man began to compare themselves, first step to inequality
-Vanity and contempt on one side, shame and envy on the other
What was the middle period?
-Huts
-Families
-Society
-Nations
-tribes
What is metallurgy?
-Further heightened inequality
-Discovering and learning how to use metals
-People that could utilize this and agriculture were better and those that couldn’t were worse
What was the new order?
-Increasing fortune to put oneself above another
-Competition and rivalry began inequality
-Wealthy got a taste of power and would do anything to keep it
What was the rich solution?
-Trap to legalize inequality
-Lied about protecting the weak from oppression, rules of justice and peace, possessing belongings
-One power governs according to laws to protect all members
-Poor ran to chain themselves out of the belief of securing liberty
-Destroyed natural liberty
-Changed usurpation to natural right
-Rush headlong into slavery
Rousseau’s perspective on slavery…
-You get the best perspective of slavery from those about to become slaves, not those that already are
-Best idea to show how slavery isn’t natural
-Violence had to be done to create slavery so it is needed to undo it
-Savage man: in himself
-Civilized man: outside himself
What were some things said about slavery?
-Law legalized slavery—collaborated with the higher class
-People need to disobey the law and hide fugitive slaves to create safe places, challenge legalized inequality
-Rebrand New England (MA) that was once safe for pilgrims to now be safe for slaves
What were some details about slaves and slavery?
-Slaves not allowed to know their own ages
-Separated from their mothers at young ages
-Curse of Ham; religious justification for slavery
-Made doing different types of chores a reward
-Thought the greatness of their masters could rub off on them
-No family loyalty—easier to control, manipulate, and influence
-Power changes people (mentioned by both Douglass and Rousseau)
-In order to break through self-preservation people must be shaken to their cores
What were some details surrounding Douglass and how he learned to read?
-Originally taught by wife of slave-owner who didn’t see why he couldn’t read, was corrupted and stopped
-He paid some young boys to teach him after that
-He learned that slavery and being a slave was not right
-Slave owners thought that when slaves could read they would be able to see the abolitionist movement
What were Rousseau’s takes on slavery relating to Douglass?
-When rich people discovered it looked bad to be rich they flipped the script so they looked better
-No one is naturally immoral, power corrupts people
