Jean-Jacques Rousseau Essay -- Philosophy, Political Science

The concepts of liberty and individuality experienced a critical change in meaning and understanding as Europe shifted from the 18th deoxycytidine monophosphate Enlightenment era to the age of political economy and utilitarianism of the nineteenth century. This clear distinction can be seen when comparing the works of enlightenment thinker Jean-Jacques Rousseau to designers of the 19th century, including utilitarian John Stuart Mill and communist Karl Marx. The fundamental differences in the ideas of liberty and individuality between the two centuries can be attributed to the political, economic, and mixer climates of each authors time.Rousseaus interpretation of liberty was that of true, unlimited freedom. However, this form of liberty only exists in the state of nature, and thus termed natural liberty. Rousseau maintains that the practice of law of nature is the law of self-preservation and individuals have no moral duty toward each other. In order to protect themselves and the ir property from others, individuals may agree to a social contract in order to form a society that is beneficial to all. The contract functions on the basis of a mutual obligation between society and each individual, and is effectuate by a surrender of natural liberty in exchange for a moral and political freedom. The general will, which is the will of society as a whole, always desires the common good, says Rousseau. Civil society is thus governed by the general will of the body politic that desires the common good. It is interesting to note that Rousseaus social contract theory essentially abolishes the ideas of the individual, and instead adopts only ideas common amongst all. This is a key factor that distinguishes 18th century philosophy with that of following century. Rousseau... ...rkets. The nature of capitalism makes this so, since the primary goal is to increase efficiency and profit. By taking over other markets, the consumer and labor pool populations are both enlarg ed. The constant advancement and variety of technology was also a pattern Marx had noted. With increased productivity resulting from changing technologies also came instability and anxiety, since improvement of machines meant the replacement of human work and job insecurity. These by and large negative aspects of capitalism motivate Marx to write the critical The Communist Manifesto.By closing analyzing each authors work, it can be said that the contents of their respective books were thus a result of the environment the author had been exposed to. As a result, the ideas of liberty and individuality changed as times changed, leading to the differences between the centuries.