Rousseau Flashcards
Why is man best equipped to survive? (origins of inequality)
-Able to use every instinct to survive and live amongst different foods
Why does savage man stop being scared of other animals and wild beasts (origins of inequality)
- He begins to compare himself with other animals and realises he surpasses them in adroitness (cleverness/skill)
- Even if animals stronger, savage quicker and will be able to find refuge
Which other enemies does savage man have which he is not provided with means of defence for? (origins of inequality)
- Infancy
- Old age
- Illness
Why are most ills actually avoidable? (origins of inequality)
- Most of our ills are our own making, the great inequality in living creates them
- We can avoid these ills by prescribing to the life nature assigned to us
Why is medicine not that useful to savage man? (origins of inequality)
-The savage when sick leaves himself to nature and has nothing to fear but his own disease, which renders his situation often preferable to ours
why can’t we compare man and savage man? (origins of inequality)
-As man grows sociable and a slave, he grows timid and servile
How do men and animals differ in terms of ideas? (origins of inequality)
- Every animals has ideas
- But when nature speaks to animals they obey
- Men have same impulsion but at same time know he is at liberty to resist or accept
- It’s the conciousness of liberty that displays the spiritually of the soul.
What is one of the key defining factors between men and brutes? (origins of inequality)
-Self improvement
Why is hobbes wrong in saying man is naturally wicked? (origins of inequality)
- The state of nature sees caring for our own preservation as the least harmful to others, and the best calculated to promote peace
- Hobbes missed that the desire for self-preservation is tempered by innate repugnance at seeing others suffer.
What are many of the differences that distinguish men? (origins of inequality)
- Many are merely the effect of habitat and different methods of life men adopt in society
- Mental differences extended differences between people through education
Why must differences between men be caused by the inequalities of social institutions? (origins of inequality)
-Difference between man and man is much greater in state of society, than within state of nature
Who was the founder of civil society? (origins of inequality)
the first man to enclose ground, tell people it was his and people believed him
What natural elements created differences in men? (origins of inequality)
- At sea they invented the hook and line and became fishermen and fish eaters
- In forest they made bows and arrows and became huntsmen
- In cold countries they clothed themselves in skin of slain animals
why was man in a position to distinguish which mutual interests might justify assistance of others? (origins of inequality)
-being taught that the low of well-being is the sole motive of human actions
What technological advancements occurred and what impact did they have? (origins of inequality)
- Implements of hard and sharp stones to dig up earth made and implements to cut wood and make huts out of branches
- this established and distinguished families and introduced some kind of property
What did living under one roof give rise to?` (origins of inequality)
- Feelings of humanity
- Conjugal love
- Paternal affection
- Every family became a little society
- Different sexes adopted different roles of living
Which man is most gentle? (origins of inequality)
-Man in his primitive state, he is placed at good distance from stupidity of brutes and ingenuity of civilised man
What happened the moment one man desired provisions of two? (origins of inequality)
- Equality disappeared
- Poverty introduced
- Work became essential
- Slavery and misery began to germinate
What did the new society do to natural liberty? (origins of inequality)
- put new chains on poor and now powers to rich
- This destroyed natural liberty
- Fixed law of property and inequality
- for the benefit of a few subjected all mankind to perpetual labour
What trick did the rich develop? (origins of inequality)
- Rich developed trick to persuade weak to unite with them into a supreme power to institute rules of justice and peace, all ran towards their chains
- this is the origin of society
What is social order and where does it come from? (The social contract)
- Social order is a sacred and basic right
- it does not come from nature, must be founded on convention
Why would men alienate their liberty? (The social contract)
-For their own advantage
How can strength make man master? (The social contract)
- Strength alone is not enough
- He needs to transform strength into right and obedience into duty
How must a covenant come about? (The social contract)
- No man has natural authority over another
- Force creates no right
- Legitimate authority comes from agreed conventions between men
What does Rousseau say of the right of slavery? (The social contract)
-The right of slavery is illegitimate and meaningless, by taking a slave from war, the victor has merely destroyed him for a profit and state of war continues
How does a social contract come about? (The social contract)
-Men in nature reach some point where obstacles to maintaining their state exceed the ability of each individual. Race must perish or change
What can the clauses of the contract be reduced to? (The social contract)
-The total giving of all rights of every individual to the community in knowledge that, because the same condition applies to everyone, no one has any interest in making them harsh and no associate has anything more to demand.
What is the relationship between sovereign power and individuals?(The social contract)
- Each member of sovereign power is bound to all individuals
- Duty and interest oblige the two parties to help each other
What happens if someone refuses to obey general will?(The social contract)
-They shall be compelled to do so by the whole body
What does man lose and gain in the social contract?(The social contract)
- They lose natural liberty and an unlimited right to everything
- They gain civil liberty and proprietorship of his possessions
What is the difference between Natural liberty and civil liberty?(The social contract)
- Natural liberty, limited only by strength of individual
- Civil liberty, limited by general will and possession
How should every state be governed?(The social contract)
-Every state should be governed for the common interest
What is the general will?(The social contract)
-The general will, the will of the people, is an act of sovereignty and constituents law
Is the general will always correct?(The social contract)
-Yes, but deliberations of people not always as can be corrupted, people often deceive
Which powers does man give to the contract?(The social contract)
-Those which are important for community to control
Can the state put anyone to death?(The social contract)
Cannot put someone to death who can be left alive without danger
What does law do to the body politic?(The social contract)
-It gives it movement and will
How large should a state be?(The social contract)
neither too large for government or too small for self-maintenance
What should be the end of legislation?(The social contract)
liberty and equality
How wealthy and poor should citizens be allowed to be? (The social contract)
-No citizen should be wealthy enough to buy another. nor poor enough to be forced to sell self
What does a good legislative system do?(The social contract)
Modifies to local situation, if soil unproductive turn to crafts
-What are the various types of law?(The social contract)
- Laws which regulate body politic itself are fundamental laws
- Civil laws arsie from relation of one member to another
- Disobedience resulting in penalty= criminal law
- Public opinion is fourth law but is unknown to political thinkers
what two causes does an act of the body politc have?(The social contract)
- Legislative is will
- Executive power is force
What happens when social bonds weaken?(The social contract)
- The state grows weak
- General will ceases to be will of all. Although it always exists, it becomes subordinated by other wills encroaching on its sphere
What does it mean if an opinion over than mine prevails? (The social contract)
-My assessment of general will was wrong
