An examination of the extent to which Rousseau reconciled the claims of the individual and the community

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, History & Theory
Cover of the book An examination of the extent to which Rousseau reconciled the claims of the individual and the community by Anne Thoma, GRIN Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Anne Thoma ISBN: 9783638313049
Publisher: GRIN Publishing Publication: October 8, 2004
Imprint: GRIN Publishing Language: English
Author: Anne Thoma
ISBN: 9783638313049
Publisher: GRIN Publishing
Publication: October 8, 2004
Imprint: GRIN Publishing
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject Politics - Political Theory and the History of Ideas Journal, University of Warwick, course: Political Theory from Hobbes, 12 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: A free man, according to Rousseau, is independent, responsible, morally competent and master of his own will. Freedom is man's essential property. The political community, on the other hand, is to invoke in the citizen a feeling of social affiliation and duty rather than a sense of individuality. Most important, citizenship presupposes the right to subject every member of the society to the law, which is produced by the general will, that is by the permanent aspiration of the common good. In The Social Contract (1762), Rousseau sets out to reconcile the claims of freedom and the constrains that arise with the necessary establishment of political authority: What humans need is 'a form of association which will defend and protect [...] the person and goods of each associate and in which each, whilst uniting himself with all, may still obey himself alone and be as free as before'. In his opinion, the social contract can bring about such a change by means of law, that is by allowing every citizen to vote 'on matters of common interest' in an assembly. The regulations thus set up are an expression of every single man's will and therefore binding for all. Those who do not subject to it voluntarily will be 'forced to be free'. Instead of reconciling the competing claims, Rousseau seems to have erected a verbal paradox. The aim of the following essay is to show to what extent, if at all, the paradox is the solution to the competing claims of the individual and the community. I will begin with a description of the state of nature, the loss of it and the subsequent unsatisfactoryalternative. Those are factors which make another form of political association indispensable. Then, I will introduce Rousseau's problematic concept of socio-political integration, followed by two major concepts of freedom according to Isaiah Berlin. Finally, I will argue that the solution of the paradox, the unification of liberty and citizenship, hinges primarily on the definition of freedom and in a wider sense on the weighting of obstacles to the practicability of Rousseau's theory. In my opinion, a reconciliation of the claims of the individuals and the community is possible only in civil but not in moral and liberal terms.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject Politics - Political Theory and the History of Ideas Journal, University of Warwick, course: Political Theory from Hobbes, 12 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: A free man, according to Rousseau, is independent, responsible, morally competent and master of his own will. Freedom is man's essential property. The political community, on the other hand, is to invoke in the citizen a feeling of social affiliation and duty rather than a sense of individuality. Most important, citizenship presupposes the right to subject every member of the society to the law, which is produced by the general will, that is by the permanent aspiration of the common good. In The Social Contract (1762), Rousseau sets out to reconcile the claims of freedom and the constrains that arise with the necessary establishment of political authority: What humans need is 'a form of association which will defend and protect [...] the person and goods of each associate and in which each, whilst uniting himself with all, may still obey himself alone and be as free as before'. In his opinion, the social contract can bring about such a change by means of law, that is by allowing every citizen to vote 'on matters of common interest' in an assembly. The regulations thus set up are an expression of every single man's will and therefore binding for all. Those who do not subject to it voluntarily will be 'forced to be free'. Instead of reconciling the competing claims, Rousseau seems to have erected a verbal paradox. The aim of the following essay is to show to what extent, if at all, the paradox is the solution to the competing claims of the individual and the community. I will begin with a description of the state of nature, the loss of it and the subsequent unsatisfactoryalternative. Those are factors which make another form of political association indispensable. Then, I will introduce Rousseau's problematic concept of socio-political integration, followed by two major concepts of freedom according to Isaiah Berlin. Finally, I will argue that the solution of the paradox, the unification of liberty and citizenship, hinges primarily on the definition of freedom and in a wider sense on the weighting of obstacles to the practicability of Rousseau's theory. In my opinion, a reconciliation of the claims of the individuals and the community is possible only in civil but not in moral and liberal terms.

More books from GRIN Publishing

Cover of the book Adopting a Strategic Approach within Retail Organisations by Anne Thoma
Cover of the book Criteria for the Assessment of Effectiveness Russian Policies towards the European Union by Anne Thoma
Cover of the book Voter's choice in Ukraine's Presidential and Parliamentary Elections since 1994 by Anne Thoma
Cover of the book Decreasing the phobia of English in secondary level education by Anne Thoma
Cover of the book The impact of cohabitation on women and children by Anne Thoma
Cover of the book Background of Geoffrey Chaucer´s 'The Miller´s Tale' by Anne Thoma
Cover of the book Environmental Management & Cruise Ships by Anne Thoma
Cover of the book The influence of advertisers on editorial content by Anne Thoma
Cover of the book AOL-Time Warner - The end of democracy? by Anne Thoma
Cover of the book Text and Discourse - Gender and Speech by Anne Thoma
Cover of the book Tolstoj und Schopenhauer by Anne Thoma
Cover of the book Liszt's late works for piano by Anne Thoma
Cover of the book Will's development of a sense of home in the context of family and Indian community as displayed in Thomas King's 'Medicine River' by Anne Thoma
Cover of the book The Waves: Bernard as a Pattern (and Story-) Maker and Principle Spokesman - Bernard's Search for Identity by Anne Thoma
Cover of the book Das IS-LM Modell. Entstehung und Anwendung by Anne Thoma
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy