Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the Noble Savage

Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the Noble Savage While learning about the Enlightenment, the students in Mrs. ‘s world history class were obligated to do a research about one Enlightenment individual that changed the course of humanity. And the individual this student was researching about was named Jean-Jacques Rousseau. As she researched about him, she wanted to know how the new understanding of society was developed and changed by Rousseau. So she developed a thesis that Rousseau developed a new understanding of society because he brought up new ideas about the natural state of man, and first introduced transparency to society.

From her long months of finding more about Rousseau, she realized that Rousseau’s idea about the natural state of man was out of the norm and talked about self-imposing. The quote from “Jean Jacques Rousseau” written by Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia states that, “the general will is what rational people would choose for the common good. Freedom, then, is obedience to a self-imposed law of reason, self-imposed because imposed by the natural laws of humanity’s being. “0ean Jacques Rousseau. , sec. 2, par. 3) shows that if humans obey self-imposed laws of reason and natural laws, it leads to freedom.

Rousseau believed that deep inside, humans were not brutes like what Thomas Hobbes thought, but like the noble savages from the Americas, living a life of goodness, simplicity, and nobility. And unlike other Enlightenment thinkers, he viewed philosophy and philosophers negatively because he saw them as “the post-hoc rationalizers of self-interest, as apologists for various forms of tyranny, and as playing a role in the alienation of the modern individual from humanity’s natural impulse to compassion” (Bertram, sec. 1, par. 1), courtesy of “Jean Jacques Rousseau” published by the Stanford Encyclopedia f Philosophy.

Rousseau’s version of the natural state of man and his thoughts on philosophy was very different and unique from others and through this society started to question the norm again. Rousseau brought up the fresh idea of being transparent. Living a transparent life was Rousseau’s way of saying that humans shouldn’t be extravagant in everything they do and have. He believed that instead of having too much and being extravagant, people should keep what was necessary and donate the extras so that the social gap wasn’t too wide. In “Jean Jacques Rousseau. ublished by Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Rousseau’s philosophy says that humans have a “common good” and that under the right conditions and circumstances, our general will can actually be a reality instead of Just an ideal dean Jacques Rousseau. , sec. 2, par. 4). Living the life of simplicity and nobility really struck Rousseau and he believed that self-imposed laws would really give men their freedom as “Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778)” by BBC stated, “It argued that a state based on a genuine social contract would give men real freedom in exchange for their obedience to a self-imposed law. ean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778), par. 3). Rousseau emphasized and concentrated on living transparently and the self- impose of our needs and natural state throughout his entire life. So, how is the new understanding of society developed by Jean-Jacques Rousseau? Rousseau developed a new understanding of society because he brought up new ideas about the natural think for themselves again by thinking outside the box such as developing the new thought of the natural state of man, the noble savage.

He also believed that transparency could change society by giving up on extravagance and Just being their enuine selves instead of trying to fit into the high standards and expectations of society today. He believed that humans were and that their self- imposed laws give freedom. Jean-Jacques Rousseau made a great impact on society today and it is still seen today. Works Cited: Bertram, Christopher. “Jean Jacques Rousseau. ” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford university, 27 sept. 2010. web. 8 NOV. 2012.. Columbia University, Press. “Jean Jacques Rousseau. ” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. History Reference Center, Nov. 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778). ” BBC News. Ed. BBC. BSC, n. d. web. 28 NOV. 2012. . Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean Jacques Rousseau, a biography written by Christopher Bertram on September 27th 2010, introduces Rousseau and his ideas. Rousseau’s views, influences, and arguments keep him remembered as a very important figure in the history of philosophy.

This biography discourses on not only his life, but also the background of his ideas and his philosophy, his education, language, legacy, and his works. I think this biography is very good, uses high vocabulary words in almost every single entence, which can make it hard to understand but the points and explanations are presented very cleanly. I recommend this to high schoolers who want to learn about Rousseau while improving their vocabulary. Encyclopedia. History Reference Center, Nov. 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. “Jean Jacques Rousseau. is a biography published by the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia explains the life of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a famous philosopher, in meticulous details such as his personal life as well as his most famous accomplishments, and his influence throughout the world. Although this article is long, I think this is a great article because of the great details and the interesting language usage.