How does Rousseau Understand the Concept of Freedom

Readings of Rousseau’s writings’ have exposed distinct arguments around his concept of freedom, and what constitutes natural, moral and civil freedoms. Since the publication of his works, in the eighteenth century, the complexity of the concepts in Rousseau’s writings has cause furious debate and controversy. Much of this deliberation arises out of the ambiguity inherent in his concepts of freedom. In his writing, at times, the concepts of natural, moral and civil freedoms are mutually exclusive, but at other junctures they are ambiguously intertwined. With the concept of freedom sitting as the corner stone of Rousseau’s philosophy, it is understandable, even in contemporary times, his essays still evokes debate. By individually exploring each stage in his manifestations of freedom, the intention of this paper will be to reveal Rousseau’s conceptual ideas which establish what he argues to be freedom. Initially the essay will build Rousseau’s ‘Natural State’ with the intention of explaining his concept of ‘Natural Freedom’. The obvious progression, from this juncture, will be to look at what Rousseau believes are the corrupting elements that lead to the pollution the ‘Natural State’. All the time leading to the un-reclaimable loss of ‘Natural Freedom’, as people coalesce and interact; and ultimately progress towards a civilised society and the inevitable state of becoming unfree. The paper will then continue by looking at Rousseau’s solution to the loss of natural freedom,Show MoreRelatedExploring Karl Marx and Jean-Jacque Rousseaus Views on Freedom1541 Words   |  7 PagesJean-Jacque Rousseau occasionally seem at odds with one another both philosophers needs to be read as an extension of each other to completely understand what human freedom is. 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