Civil Society and the Rights of Individuals

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the views of political philosophers Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Edmund Burke. The author explores their beliefs regarding government in society and their views on the nature of man and his relationship with religion, politics, social regimes and civil society. The paper shows how the philosophers' beliefs contrast with each other.

From the Paper:

"Unlike Burke, Rousseau did not come from a political background. He saw himself as unique with a valuable contribution to make to modern thought and society. He was not a member of the cliques that dominated eighteenth century European society and he made his home traveling from one society to another. He believed himself to be fully conscious at a very young age and took advantage of this state by writing about his beliefs at a young age. His political beliefs stemmed from the romantic enlightenment strand of thought. This foundation was the basis for his beliefs on civil society. Rousseau believed that all rights are conventional. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and those basic rights of man are the result of an agreement or social contract between man and government. These rights therefore depend on the will of government."

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