Reading/Discussion Schedule
September 21 - On the Social
Contract, Books I-II
September 24 - On the
Social Contract, Books III-IV
September 28-
Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Part I (and Rousseau's
Endnotes)
October 1 -
Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Part II (and Rousseau's
Endnotes)
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Reading/Discussion Prompts
September 21
- Why is man in chains?
- Where do you see Plato's fingerprints in Rousseau's writing?
- Construct an example of a law and one of a decree.
Similarly, construct a good law and a bad one.
- Explicate the notion of "Sovereign".
- Where does liberty reside and what does it look like?
September 24
- Where does Rousseau's statement: "It is better to have
liberty fraught with danger than servitude in peace." apply?
- Is Rousseau in favor of the U.S. Congress?
- What is Rousseau's view of each of the following:
censorship, abortion, capital punishment, same sex marriage?
- In what way does the internet form a body politic?
- How does Rousseau reconcile separation of church and state?
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September 28
1. According to Rousseau, what has the greatest value in human
existence?
2. Create a rank-ordered* list of human
inequalities and bring it to class. Be prepared to defend your list
with Rousseau's own words.
(* i.e. a list with the greatest inequality listed first, the next
greatest second, etc.)
3. What aspect of human civilization is the
greatest corruptor of the natural human condition?
October 1
1. Create a rank-ordered* list of human
inequalities and bring it to class. Be prepared to defend your list
with Rousseau's own words. (* i.e. a list with the greatest inequality listed first, the next
greatest second, etc.)
2.
Bring your own questions. |
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Classic Rousseau:
"Man's first language, the most universal, the most
energetic and the only language he needed before it was necessary to
persuade men assembled together, is the cry of nature." (I)
"Such, in fact, is the true cause of all these
differences; the savage lives in himself; the man accustomed to the
ways of society is always outside himself and knows how to live only
in the opinion of others." (II) |
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