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Burke vs. Rousseau: Nature and Society

Edmund Burke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau had differing views on conservatism and radical communitarianism. Burke supported a more conservative view of gradual change and tradition, while Rousseau advocated for the radical idea that people should abandon traditional society and government in favor of a social contract for the common good. Both philosophers believed that society could corrupt individuals, but Rousseau felt strong social and political inequalities arose from conventions of civil society. He argued people should live under the general will of the people rather than rule by government or majority groups.

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Vijaya Ganesh Konar
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33 views6 pages

Burke vs. Rousseau: Nature and Society

Edmund Burke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau had differing views on conservatism and radical communitarianism. Burke supported a more conservative view of gradual change and tradition, while Rousseau advocated for the radical idea that people should abandon traditional society and government in favor of a social contract for the common good. Both philosophers believed that society could corrupt individuals, but Rousseau felt strong social and political inequalities arose from conventions of civil society. He argued people should live under the general will of the people rather than rule by government or majority groups.

Uploaded by

Vijaya Ganesh Konar
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Burke & Rousseau

Conservative and Radical Communitarianism

Edmund Burke
(Classical Conservatism) Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
State of Nature Human Nature Society as a Living Organism (tree analogy) Institutions Prescription Property (individual vs. communal) Innovation Liberty Republicanism (Delegate vs. Trustee Models) Tolerance

"The age of chivalry is gone. That of sophisters, economists, and calculators, has succeeded." Edmund Burke

The Social Contract


Jean-Jacques Rousseau State of nature: Humans are neither good nor bad, they are just freethey do not fear death, as Hobbes pre supposes, they just desire the things that sustain them Society corrupts the individual Amor de soi (self love, preservation) vs. Amor prope (pride) Two types of inequality exist: natural (physical) and moral (political): likewise, two types of liberty exist, natural and social. Natural liberty is negative in that it is driven by desire, social liberty is driven by reason Political inequality arises from convention, or civil society and its traditions, which have condition humans toward acceptance of other individuals

Rousseau
Humans are born with free-agency, or the ability to choose, reason leads them toward cooperation Society, on the other hand, infuses the individual with Amor-prope:
Competition Self-comparison with others Hatred, or avarice The desire for power

Rousseau
In their natural state, humans live without law or [Link] natural rights. As they move out of the state of nature, they do so because of the necessity of cooperation all the while in competition with each other. Because in competition, there are winners and losers, humans are vulnerable to the exploitation of those more powerful than they. Because of interdependence, however, individuals may protect themselves against the powerful through the creation of laws.

Rousseau
Sovereignty exists with the people not with [Link] representative government. The general will (an abstract concept incorporating the public good) is distinguishable from the will of groups of individuals (the majority). What should prevail is the general will:
"Each of us puts his person and all his power in common under the supreme direction of the general will, and, in our corporate capacity, we receive each member as an indivisible part of the whole.

The general will, then, helps to curb individual excess. What is subject to the general will:
Equity under the law Property Contracts Business Interactions

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