Discourse 1 & 2

A detailed Summary of Discourse 1 & 2

In Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Discourses, freedom is one of the most important themes. Freedom is possible for the human person, but things such as society play a considerable role in limiting human freedom. He argues that culture is what teaches people ideas which enslaved them in society, thus he firmly holds that people are better off in their original state of nature. In The First and Second Discourses, Rousseau describes what life is like in the original state of nature and argues that it is preferable over civilized society due to several prevailing factors. However, that type of lifestyle which contains complete freedom is not achievable in the modern world.

According to Rousseau, there are two types of freedom: positive and negative. Positive freedom is transpired through one's original state of nature where few relationships are established. The original state of nature is calm and peaceful, resembling a simplistic form of life. Negative freedom arises from the natural development of the human person and the construction of relationships and societies. Rousseau finds man living in the original state of nature at the greatest advantage than man living in society. Society produces inequality and restraints whereas the origin

Rousseau's description of freedom does not rely on political organizations and laws alone. It also includes the idea of psychological freedom or the freedom from desire and need. Modern man is not positively free partly because others dominate and exploit him, but also because he is a slave to his own needs. As long as man needs others and relies on their opinions, he can never have positive freedom. A savage man experiences positive freedom because he is not dependant on others and cannot be dominated.

Although freedom is possible for the human person, Rousseau is certain that this type of primitively positive freedom is no longer possible in the modern world. Civilized society as a whole greatly limits the possibility of coming even remotely close to positive freedom. Although the more desirable positive freedom is no longer achievable, negative freedom can still be promising, making freedom possible for the human person.

Another act of inequality found in civil societies is among the sexes. Male dominance is a common practice in civil society. Civil men use love to gain power over women. The moral element of love is a sentiment, "extolled with much skill and care by women . . . and make[s] dominant the sex that ought to obey." Once again, this sentiment is based on beauty. There is no concept of beauty, or love, in the original state of nature. A savage finds beauty insignificant and is incapable of comparing women; his mind is not trained in that manner.

When a society is formed, man begins to depend on other people. Selfishness and 'Deserve Rights' come into being as man reflects on what he deserves. Commerce also comes into play which leads into the invention of property and the division of labor. This begins the moral inequality and allows for the domination and exploitation of the poor by the rich. A violent state of war may occur because relations between rich and poor are dangerous and unstable. Rousseau trusts that the rich will attempt to escape war by tricking

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Approximate Word count = 1346
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History