The Political And Moral Thought Of Rousseau And Kant

Conceptions of Freedom in the Political and Moral Thought of Rousseau and Kant In the Age of Enlightenment, both Rousseau and Kant discuss the idea of freedom concerning a man’s will. In spite of their shared conception of freedom as self-legislative autonomy, they differ markedly in terms of what freedom really means. The substantive differences between their accounts of freedom illustrate the two philosophers’ different perceptions about the norms of a civil state, which I suggest, are both flawed and inapplicable to real life. In this paper, I first compare and contrast the conceptions of freedom according to the two philosophers. Then I discuss why those conceptions are flawed. Finally, I provide a possible alternative: instead of clinging on the idea of the free will, I turn to the idea of free action, a less arbitrary conception of freedom. In On the Social Contract, Rousseau discusses three kinds of freedom , namely, natural liberty, civil liberty, and moral liberty. Natural liberty is identified as in the state of nature, a stateless society that involves the absence of any binding norm that would restrain one’s conduct. Having natural liberty means that an individual has â€Å"an unlimited right to everything that tempts him and that he can acquire† (SC I.8). This is the natural state of mankind described in Rousseau’s Discourses on Inequality. In the evolution of human being, the division of labor and the institution of properties yield a thoroughShow MoreRelatedThe French Revolution And The Enlightenment1601 Words   |  7 Pages18th century. The Scientific Revolution, which began in the 16th century, gave way to a new and revolutionary way of thinking. It encouraged independent thought, the capacity to ask questions, and a progressive attitude. Additionally, the enlightenment arose during a time when there was absolute monarchy and an extremely powerful church. Political, philosophical, cultural, and religious ideas were in the need of reform. The French Revolution was arguably an effect of the growing ideas of the enlightenmentRead MoreMoral Theories Of Human Rights1433 Words   |  6 PagesWhat do you understand under the philosophy of human rights and the reality of moral theories ABSTRACT The idea of human rights came up as early as 539 BC when the armies of Cyrus the great who was the king of ancient Persia conquered the city of Babylon and he freed all the slaves and gave them the right to chose a religion of their choice. This reveals the history of human rights. However the history of human rights complements the philosophical aspect of the same. Both aspects champion the ideaRead More Age of reason Essay1294 Words   |  6 Pagesback home where he started thinking more about ethics and political economy. Along with these thoughts Hume wrote books expressing how he felt about these subjects (Snyder34). Essay Moral and Political was one book that enclosed an essay written by Hume dealing with ethics and political economy. Hume felt that ethical thinking was the idea of knowing right from wrong and comes about from ones own self-happiness. Benevolence was the biggest moral good as far as Hume was concerned. The unselfish understandingRead MoreThe Age of Reason142 4 Words   |  6 Pageswho participated and had an affect in The Age of Reason. OUTLINE I. David Hume A. Contributions to the Age of Reason B. Who and what influenced him II. Jean Jacques Rousseau A. What he believed in B. Who influenced him III. Claude Adrien Helvetius A. Influences B. Reasons for contribution IV. Immanuel Kant A. How he made a difference B. Why he made a difference C. What caused him to make a difference V. Johann Fichte A. Influences B. Reasons for contribution VI. JohannRead More Philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment Essay examples1477 Words   |  6 PagesAge of Enlightenment. The Enlightenment carried the idea that economic change and political reform were possible. People started to think that they could use their own intellect to challenge the intellectual authority of tradition and the Christian past. The people who wrote for change and reform were called the philosophes (French for philosophers). They wrote hoping to bring reform to religion, political thought, society, government, and the economy. Thanks to the print culture, the philosophes’Read MoreThe Enlightenment By Locke, Paine, And Kant1492 Words   |  6 Pagestheir faith and if asked to justify themselves, they would not be able too. People brave enough to understand this new paradigm shift like Locke, Paine, and Kant influenced society with their new fascinating philosophies that have influenced us till today. What they did not realize is how corrupt the develo pment of reason would become. Rousseau understood reason and never denied it but also saw its future, which is why he chose compassion over reason. Through Locke’s, Paine’s and Kant’s examples weRead MoreThe Principles Of Freedom Of An Individual934 Words   |  4 Pagesparticipation in the society. Thirdly, political rights of democratic representation or participation i.e., right to vote or be voted for to ensure that the other two rights are not infringed on (Kant Political Philosophy, 1993. p. 173). Liberalism today could slightly be different with earlier views as a result of changes in time and history however the fundamental tent of liberty and the ideals of freedom, equality, independence as expressed by Kant remains the same and paramount. SeveralRead MoreRomanticism Essay1493 Words   |  6 Pagesthe essentially modern, spiritual and fantastic culture of the middle Ages. Romantics were involved in emotional directness of personal experience and individual imagination and aspiration. It was partly a revolt against aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature, and was embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature. It is one of the curiosities of literary history that the strongholds ofRead MoreThe Enlightenment1278 Words   |  6 Pagesscientific thought, skeptics, and intellectual interchange: dismissing superstition, intolerance, and for some, religion. Western Europe, Germany, France, and Great Britain, and the American Colonies generally influenced the age of reason. Following the Renaissance, science and rationality was the forefront of this age. The enlightenment came as a wave throughout Europe, drastically changing the culture. The literature of time reflected this idea. Authors such as Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau wereRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Social Contract1004 Words   |  5 PagesSocial contract denotes that a government or sovereign body exists only to serve the will of the people because the people are the source of political power that is enjoyed by the entity. The people can choose to give or withdraw the power. Not all philosophers agree that the social contrac t creates rights and obligations; on the contrary, some believe that the social contract imposes restrictions that restrict a person’s natural rights. Individuals who live within the society gain protection