Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the 'Well-Ordered Society'This book studies a central but hitherto neglected aspect of Rousseau's political thought: the concept of social order and its implications for the ideal society which he envisages. The antithesis between order and disorder is a fundamental theme in Rousseau's work, and the author takes it as the basis for this study. In contrast with a widely held interpretation of Rousseau's philosophy, Professor Viroli argues that natural and political order are by no means the same for Rousseau. He explores the differences and interrelations between the different types of order which Rousseau describes, and shows how the philosopher constructed his final doctrine of the just society, which can be based only on every citizen's voluntary and knowing acceptance of the social contract and on the promotion of virtue above ambition. The author also shows the extent of Rousseau's debt to the republican tradition, and above all to Machiavelli, and revises the image of Rousseau as a disciple of the natural-law school. |
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Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Images of order between nature and the artificial | 15 |
The knowledge and love of order | 17 |
Natural order and artificial disorder | 24 |
The wellordered society | 37 |
The necessity of artifice | 46 |
Disorder and inequality | 53 |
Natural inequalities and artificial inequalities | 64 |
Inequality and conflict | 87 |
Political order | 107 |
Utility and justice | 118 |
Liberty and the republic | 148 |
Republican order | 187 |
The dissolution of the republic | 211 |
Bibliography | 230 |
246 | |
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Common terms and phrases
A.O. Lovejoy according to Rousseau ambition amongst body politic citizens civil law civil religion Cole common concept conflict Contrat social Derathé desire despotism Discorsi Discours sur l'inégalité Discourse on inequality doctrine Economie politique egotism Emile equality esteem existence fact feeling fellows fundamental G.D.H. Cole G.W.F. Hegel Geneva manuscript happiness harmony Hobbes honour human Ibid idea individual institutions Jean-Jacques Rousseau justice Kant legislator legitimate Lettres écrites Leviathan liberty live Machiavelli magistrates Manuscrit de Genève means men's Michel Rey moderate montagne Montesquieu moral inequality natural law natural order necessary obey Oeuvres complètes Paris passions philosophy Pierre Charron political constitution political order possible principle problem Pufendorf rational reason regard relations republic republican Rousseau's theory rule social compact social contract social order sovereign authority sovereign body sovereignty of law superiority things Thomas Hobbes transl true tyranny universe virtue virtuous vivere libero wealth well-ordered society