Denis Diderot and Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Denis Diderot was a French philosopher who was the friend of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Both men contributed to Diderot's "Encyclopedie" and grew to become close friends. Despite their friendship, their relationship became strained at times. Diderot considered Rousseau to be vain, deceitful, and ungrateful.
The Social Contract
The social contract of Rousseau is one of the most influential theories in history, and the founding fathers of the theory contributed to many later changes in political thinking. In a nutshell, the social contract is a set of mutually agreed upon rights and obligations. The idea is based on the ancient Greek concept of the social contract, which was developed by Protagoras and Epicurus.
This contract outlines the rights and obligations of individuals and collectively enforceable agreements in society. The agreement of individuals to these social arrangements demonstrates that these arrangements have normative value. It is important to note, however, that the abstract rendering of this theory is objectionable for a number of reasons. Nevertheless, the core idea of the social contract is quite concrete, and can be distilled into five elements:
Rousseau's educational scheme grew out of his observations of the way that people learn. He observed that students learned better when they were active, and that the process of discovery was more effective than the tutor's lectures. These observations and theories were woven together into a coherent conception of education.
Rousseau's educational scheme emphasized child-centered education that focused on sensory-driven experiences, and active participation, such as speaking and singing. Many of these concepts still underlie early childhood education today, and the theory is still widely used.
In 1740, Jean-Jacques Rousseau was hired as a tutor by Jean Bonnot de Mably, the elder brother of famous Enlightenment philosophers Mably and Condillac. The position did not allow Rousseau to devote himself to teaching children, but it gave him access to the city and its social connections.
Unlike Diderot, Rousseau had a highly critical attitude towards society and the modern world. He rejected religion as a source of revelation and believed that the arts and sciences should replace religion. However, he believed that a true religion would be one based on the nature of man, which is an ideal religion requiring sincerity of feelings and the fighting against the vices of civilization.
Rousseau's brusqueness
Despite Rousseau's brusquesm, he remains an influential figure in philosophy. His writings have shaped political philosophy and moral psychology. Rousseau criticized philosophers for their post-hoc rationalizations of self-interest, characterizing them as alienators from compassion. He aimed to preserve human freedom.
Rousseau was somewhat successful as a composer, writing seven operas and numerous other works. He also contributed to the development of music theory. His music was a mixture of late Baroque style and emerging Classical fashion, and he belongs to the same generation as Christoph Willibald Gluck and C. P. E. Bach. His one-act opera, The Village Soothsayer, features the duet "Non, Colette, n'est-trompeteuse." A Gavotte in scene no. 8 is also a source of the folk song "Go Tell Aunt Rhody!"
Rousseau's alleged central importance to European culture is controversial. This philosopher's philosophy informs his other activities, and his contributions to other fields often illuminate his philosophical commitments. Here are some of his contributions. Let us look at these contributions and discuss the alleged centrality of Rousseau.
Mme de Warens is one of the most connected characters in Rousseau's work. She is cited most often in the second to seventh books, and then again in the eighth book. In fact, she is co-occurrent with Rousseau until chapter twelve. However, the author also cites many other characters from Paris society.
