Rousseau: It's Whom You Know

“Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains?” Really? What kinds of chains? To me, Rousseau outlines two general kinds of chains: those from society (learning, culture, etc.) and self-imposed chains (social compact, etc.). The second form of chain interests me, because the chain (relationships) form the heart of Rousseau’s government, and aren’t necessarily bad.

Rousseau’s state is one of reciprocal relationships. Unlike Thomas Hobbes, who advocates passive acceptance of a sovereign, Rousseau advocates active participation in state life. Rousseau sees this participation as a reduction in liberty, but this is not bad in itself. Instead, it moves closer to what Rousseau respects as the legitimate sovereign of his state: the general will.

One thing that puzzled me was Rousseau’s assumption that freedom bred civic virtue. In a way, the link is obvious, as freedom is for the individual to delegate, and he may delegate it to his neighbors in a compact. But are all free men virtuous people whom love their neighbors? What is there’s a Hobbesian jerk who uses freedom (or state of nature) to kill his neighbors and take their goods? Rousseau dismisses Hobbesian psychology altogether, but does he really believe that his own psychology prevails among everyone?