Rousseau's Doctrine of Natural Rights

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that the great philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau was one of the foremost proponents of the theory of the social contract and of ideas concerning the basic nature of human society. The writer discusses that according to Rousseau, human beings were born neither good nor evil; rather it was an individual's self-interest that determined his or her actions, actions that might be deemed either positive or negative in the eyes of others. As individuals acted naturally in their own interest, larger societies would be plagued by the conflicts that grew out of the conflicting demands of individual women and men. Rousseau proposed to solve this problem by a variant of the social contract - an ostensible agreement between the various members of society. The writer discusses that the ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau contrasted strongly with those of other thinkers, such as John Locke, Adam Smith and Immanuel Kant, all of whom viewed humanity in far-more individualized terms.

From the Paper:

"Cohesion equals the application of force or compulsion. Since human beings are individuals they view any combination of individuals as merely a means to serve their own personal ends. Coercion must be used if these disparate individuals are to act for the benefit of other individuals, and for the group as a whole. What Rousseau discovered in the idea of the Social Contract was a means to preserving individual happiness within the context of the necessary group. In accepting the General Will, the individual woman or man accepts the benefits of mutual cooperation along with the restrictions that such cooperation must impose. One surrenders some privileges in exchange for the greater security provided by group action and cohesion. If people do not pool their resources in times of adversity a few may survive, or none may survive. But, if all work together, hopefully most will survive. The same goes in the event of an attack on a region."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Kant, Immanuel. Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals. Trans. Thomas K. Abbott. New York: Liberal Arts Press, 1949.
• Locke, John. A Letter concerning Toleration. 2nd ed. Indianapolis: Liberal Arts Press, 1955.
• Locke, John. The Second Treatise of Government. Ed. Thomas P. Peardon. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1960.
• Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. Discourse on Political Economy and, the Social Contract. Trans. Christopher Betts. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.
• Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. Discourse on the Origin of Inequality. Trans. Franklin Philip. Ed. Patrick Coleman. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.

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