The Enlightened Thinker - Rousseau

Another pessimistic and negative outlook on the human nature without any laws is correlational with the philosopher of the 18th century – Jean Jacques Rousseau. The period in history which had changed the foundation of thinking and science all to the core is called the Enlightenment period. Rousseau is one of the most important personas of the period. To continue on the social contract theory, he begins and deceives us into thinking that he has a positive outlook on a lawless society. The story starts in the “Discourse on the Origin of Inequality”. Humans start off as being friendly and neighbors in a union. However, being buried with jealousy and self-pride, they bring to the surface their real selves – the malicious selves. Rousseau gave into the idea of private property and how it made the society even worse. This was the crucial point in the formation of laws and government, since it needed even further protection. With private property, though, inequality becomes inevitable. The idea of a social contract made it possible to provide peace for everyone (who could afford a property) (Britannica, 2024)

Overlooking this theory and seeing how the world turned out today, our self-interest and the amount of owned property really do play a role in the civilization. Capitalism itself is made for the individual, not the collective. However, Rousseau is also saying how a society within a social contract should have the same goal – freedom and equality. Due to the constant refrain and the rise of conservativism, I lose the hope of having an equal and free environment. Minorities keep on being unrecognized and with every one step forward, there are always 2 steps back.

So, how much have we actually evolved for the past 3 or 4 centuries after these great thinkers? And is there ever going to be a society as such where there will be reciprocity and mutual respect?