Jean-Jacques Rousseau and His Ideas on Civilization and Progress

Introduction

• Modern life closely connected with the idea of progress
• 18th century: Belief in humanity's positive developmental path
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau contradicts this view

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Background

• Born in 1712 in Geneva
• Father was an educated watchmaker
• Family had to leave Geneva due to a legal dispute
• Instability and loneliness in Rousseau's life
• Moved to Paris, confronted with the luxury of the Ancien Régime

Insight and Central Thesis

• 1749: Reading the newspaper "Mercure de France" raises the question of progress
• Rousseau had an epiphany: Civilization and progress harm morality
• Thesis: Civilization leads to moral decline

Writings and Arguments

Discourse on the Sciences and Arts

• Individuals were originally good and happy
• Union in societies leads to vices

Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men

• Idea of the "state of nature"
• People lived reasonably, loved family, respected nature, showed empathy
• State of nature characterized by morality and spontaneous compassion

Critique of Civilization

• Civilization awakens unhealthy self-love ("amour propre")
• Pride, envy, and vanity dominate
• People constantly compare themselves and lose sense of their own feelings

The Noble Savage

• Term "noble savage" remains associated with Rousseau
• Contrast: Innocence and morality of ancestors vs. modern decadence
• European fascination with North American tribes

Interest in Natural Goodness

Emile, or On Education (1762)

• Children born "naturally good"
• Education should protect against social corruption
• Influential idea: child-centered education
• Promotion of breastfeeding

Novels and Autobiography

• Novel "Julie" (1761): Celebration of intense feelings vs. social conventions
• Autobiography "Confessions": Exploration of the inner life

Later Influences

• Died in 1778, reputation continued to grow
• Hero of the French Revolution
• Influence on 19th-century artists and writers
• Founder of Romanticism: Appreciation of the primitive, the child, and the passionate lover

Conclusion

• Modern world remains deeply romantic, influenced by Rousseau's ideas