Rousseau's Analysis

752 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Democracy in Rousseau

Hope, more specifically the enthusiasm it creates, is the power of a democracy. Rousseau is talking about tyranny: the people as a socio-political collective should be the tyrannical power that governs a society. Savio believes the intensity of humanity will never be fully understood by bureaucratic institutions as we are collectively ever-changing. Thus people must always be ready to critique their government; ready to provoke progress by taking action. The quotes provided intertwine hope as the “Atlas” of democratic pillars of justice rather than nationalism. Rousseau describes the necessity of, “the constitution of the government,” as the power at hand, which should be held responsible for dictating equality within a country. Rousseau …show more content…

However, one is subsumed within the other, with Rousseau’s democracy establishing a universal law, which is enforced by Savio’s ideal citizens. The dramatic visual metaphor of “put[ting] your bodies upon the gears… wheels… levers… you’ve got to make it stop,” conveys Savio’s call for activism.
Activism like Susan Doe’s court case for trans rights under Maine Human Rights Act. Ostracized Doe successfully created policies for trans youth of any age. All while within, “the operation of the …show more content…

Complacency permeates in the people feeding the power of democratic tyrants. Politics is widely considered to be corrupt. This corruption and lack of educated voters creates a space where politicians speak like demigods, pander or are quite vague in order to communicate to the people. We the people must stay informed in order to assist’ honesty in politics.
A great example of this subjective rhetoric is the “Death Tax,” a term used instead of it’s actual name the “Estate Tax.” This taxation applies to a portion of an inheritance exceeding $5.45 million “0.02% of estates,” by communicating an approachable title to this law. A number of Americans feel threatened by it. When in fact this is only applicable to “the 1%.” Understanding our government’s laws is vital. Self-governing, by understanding our government’s systems and laws, is our power. If we give up on the system claiming it corrupt we loose touch and do not understand it. Tepid we put our faith in the merit of politics. Our fate is our own in this system with our education, sympathy and tenacity as the power of our

Show More
Related

  • Force, Right, and Freedom in Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Philosophy

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    that ‘because you can force me to obey you, is it right that I should

    Read More

  • Locke and Rousseau

    1787 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...eing mandated for protection. Rousseau’s conception of liberty is more dynamic. Starting from all humans being free, Rousseau conceives of the transition to civil society as the thorough enslavement of humans, with society acting as a corrupting force on Rousseau’s strong and independent natural man. Subsequently, Rousseau tries to reacquaint the individual with its lost freedom. The trajectory of Rousseau’s freedom is more compelling in that it challenges the static notion of freedom as a fixed concept. It perceives that inadvertently freedom can be transformed from perfectly available to largely unnoticeably deprived, and as something that changes and requires active attention to preserve. In this, Rousseau’s conception of liberty emerges as more compelling and interesting than Locke’s despite the Lockean interpretation dominating contemporary civil society.

    Read More

  • Andrew Johnson

    1447 Words  | 3 Pages

    “There are some who lack confidence in the integrity and capacity of the people to govern themselves. To all who entertain such fears I will most respectfully say that I entertain none… If man is not capable, and it not to be trusted with the government of himself, is he to be trusted with the government of others… Who, then, will govern? The answer must be, man – for we have no angels in the shape of men, as yet, who are willing to take charge...

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Representative Democracy

    1166 Words  | 3 Pages

    The self respect of all humans depends on assurance that the government they obey has a moral right to be obeyed otherwise what if it turns from authority to naked force. Humans have been offended by power by a demand of obedience unsupported by any reference to moral right that has caused feeling of offense and disobedience. Political obligation is based on consent subordinates government to freedom through “general will” and “will of all”. According to Rousseau “will of all” is sum of all particular wills that considers only the common interest, which must be directed toward the good of everyone. The point that human beings are essentially united tells that a government can legitimately claim obedience only when its commands represent the true, ultimate interest of all the people through general will. The theory of the general upholds that even though a law does not rest on individual’s consent, it may yet command contributions to individuals’ real good and thus enhance his/her

    Read More

  • Exploring Karl Marx and Jean-Jacque Rousseau's Views on Freedom

    1544 Words  | 4 Pages

    While the problems within civil society may differ for these two thinkers it is uncanny how similar their concepts of freedom are, sometimes even working as a logical expansion of one another. Even in their differences they shed light onto new problems and possible solutions, almost working in tandem to create a freer world. Rousseau may not introduce any process to achieve complete freedom but his theorization of the general will laid the groundwork for much of Marx’s work; similarly Marx’s call for revolution not only strengthens his own argument but also Rousseau’s.

    Read More

  • Unrest and Issues During the Gilded Age

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    Known as a period of political scandal, many politicians engaged in bribes, lies, and abuse of power to further a political, social, and often personal agenda. The typical corrupt leader "will sell his vote for a dollar [...] turns with indifference from the voice of honesty and reason [...] his unalienable right may be valuable to him for the bribe he gets out of it" (166). Such politicians are an injustice to society because as they are elected by the people, they must act towards the betterment of the people, rather than for themselves. Furthermore, those who elect this politician to office merely underestimate their political and social responsibility because they "want the feeling that their own interests are connected with those of the community, and in the weakness or absence of moral and political duty" (167). Thus, under the control of the ruthless politician and the reckless voter, the true essence of democracy is

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Jean-Jacques Rousseau

    2053 Words  | 5 Pages

    Source one is a quote by the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He states that: “Man was born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” The source states that even though human beings are all born free of chains, as they grow up and enter society, they find themselves unknowingly being put into chains. Rousseau believes that external and internal factors in society cause us all to become restricted and chained, that we believe we are free when we are constantly surrounded by restricting forces. The chains can be both physical or mental and are placed upon us by those who wish to control us. The source values self- determination, free-will, equality, and would favour constitutionally protected rights of citizens everywhere, such as those listed

    Read More

  • Jean-Jacques Rousseau's The Social Contract

    1773 Words  | 4 Pages

    The opening line of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's influential work 'The Social Contract' (1762), is 'man is born free, and he is everywhere in chains. Those who think themselves masters of others are indeed greater slaves than they'. These are not physical chains, but psychological and means that all men are constraints of the laws they are subjected to, and that they are forced into a false liberty, irrespective of class. This goes against Rousseau's theory of general will which is at the heart of his philosophy. In his Social Contract, Rousseau describes the transition from a state of of nature, where men are naturally free, to a state where they have to relinquish their naturalistic freedom. In this state, and by giving up their natural rights, individuals communise their rights to a state or body politic. Rousseau thinks by entering this social contract, where individuals unite their power and freedom, they can then gain civic freedom which enables them to remain free as the were before. In this essay, I will endeavour to provide arguments and examples to conclude if Rousseau provides a viable solution to what he calls the 'fundamental problem' posed in the essay title.

    Read More

  • The Politics of Truth an Essay by Michel Foucault

    987 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...argues here that through critique one can find cracks in the power-knowledge relationship. At this point the public will be able to ask the question “how not to be governed like that”?

    Read More

  • Marx (The Communist Manifesto) and Rousseau

    2059 Words  | 5 Pages

    The political philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Karl Marx examined the role that the state played and its relationship to its citizen’s participation and access to the political economy during different struggles and tumultuous times. Rousseau was a believer of the concept of social contract with limits established by the good will and community participation of citizens while government receives its powers given to it. Karl Marx believed that power was to be taken by the people through the elimination of the upper class bourgeois’ personal property and capital. While both philosophers created a different approach to establishing the governing principles of their beliefs they do share a similar concept of eliminating ownership of capital and distributions from the government. Studying the different approaches will let us show the similarities of principles that eliminate abuse of power and concentration of wealth by few, and allow access for all. To further evaluate these similarities, we must first understand the primary principles of each of the philosophers’ concepts.

    Read More

  • Comparing John Locke, John Stuart Mill, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau

    2030 Words  | 5 Pages

    This nullifies any freedoms or rights individuals are said to have because they are subject to the whims and fancy of the state. All three beliefs regarding the nature of man and the purpose of the state are bound to their respective views regarding freedom, because one position perpetuates and demands a conclusion regarding another. Bibliography:.. Works Cited Cress, Donald A. Jean-Jacques Rousseau “The Basic Political Writing”.

    Read More

  • Democracy: An Analysis

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, despite the premise of popular participation in politics, recent years have seen a decline in voter turnout during elections. (Wong, Lecture, October 24) This may be the result of a general lack of interest or, more likely, a loss of trust in politicians. Modern democracy is intended to be representative, yet it seems that corruption and political domination by the upper class have resulted in public disillusionment in politics. In India, for example, polls have shown that the majority prefers democracy, but the level of trust in elected officials is very low due to wealth-based campaigning, nepotism, and lack of transparency (Sen, pg. 90) in the election system. Thus it can be said that in democratic countries where corruption is prevalent, democracy can be undermined by an undemocratic system.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Speech On Transgender Rights

    1177 Words  | 3 Pages

    Within the recent years, the transgender movement has become more apparent than ever. With television shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, “Keeping It Up With Cait” and “I Am Jazz”, the voices of transgender people are more public than ever. Celebrities like Caitlyn Jenner and Laverene Cox are changing the face of the movement by showing people that it is never too late to be their true selves. American laws are acknowledging the rights of transgender people, but not in a positive way. These are just people trying to be their best selves. Transgender people deserve to have all the rights that a non transgender person has.

    Read More

  • Rousseau Theory Of Representative Democracy

    1424 Words  | 3 Pages

    This paper first discusses Rousseau’s views on freedom and political participation in On the Social Contract. Then, it will analyze how Rousseau would see the modern “representative democracy ” in the U.S. It will support Rousseau in arguing that we are indeed unfree under such political systems. Finally, it will devise changes to be made for this system to make us free.

    Read More

  • Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Definition Of Government

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    Moreover, Freedom and equality both offer to the world a piece of the government that represents our natural freedom as well as making it available, because, with freedom comes equality; you cannot have one without the other. The act of corresponding conversation and reasoning between people and political figures also defines government because without it no one would be benefited except the government and the people would have to constantly struggle with dealing with the aftereffects of the government's actions. Lastly, the execution of laws is the basis of any government, the absence of laws would blatantly leave only chaos. Therefor, Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s definition of government may be complex but his beliefs are the most important as they cover the overall point as to a effective, achievable, and organized

    Read More

More about Rousseau's Analysis

Open Document