Rousseau: State of Nature and Political Philosophy

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the Rousseau-focused lecture notes on the state of nature, the critique of pre-modern philosophy, and the radical idea of freedom and education.

Rousseau's hypothetical pre-societal condition used to test human nature and judge current institutions; a baseline for critique.

State of Nature

The idea of a pristine, serene, virtuous human living in harmony with nature, used by Rousseau to describe humans outside artificial society.

Noble Savage

Rousseau's methodological tool to imagine original human conditions in order to critique and judge existing institutions.

State of Nature Thought Experiment

Metaphor for the state of nature thought experiment acting as a wake-up call to question civilizational norms.

Tonics/scenario of awakening

The Greeks’ concept of rational capacity; seen by Plato/Aristotle as a key human feature.

Reason (logos)

The Greek city-state; a social-political community often described as a patriarchal, male-led entity.

Polis

Plato’s ideal ruling class: aristocracy of philosophically minded rulers.

Philosopher Ruler (Aristocracy)

A violent, chaotic pre-political condition where life is ‘nasty, brutish, and short,’ justifying a strong sovereign.

Hobbes’ State of Nature (contrast point)

Idea, notably in Locke, that property originates from one’s labor and gives one a rightful claim to goods.

Labor Theory of Value

Rights justified by labor and used to ground the social contract and civil order.

Property Rights

Agreement among individuals to form a political community and grant authority to a ruler in exchange for security and rights.

Social Contract

The tendency to acquire and possess property, which underpins contract and social order (Locke).

Acquisitive Human Nature

The critique that ancient theories derive from their own historical contexts rather than universal human nature.

Premises of political philosophy

Rousseau’s portrayal of humans before society, often framed by physical strength and individual independence.

Original State Description

Rousseau’s idea that humans can be shaped and improved through education and social development.

Perfectibility

A form of freedom that requires self-rule and detachment from entrenched social conditioning.

Radical Freedom

Law and governance arising from within individuals or the community, not imposed from outside.

Self-rule (Nomos)

The imagined condition necessary to critique and possibly redesign political institutions.

Anti-institutional State

Rousseau’s vision of shaping citizens through education to foster freedom, equality, and responsible self-government.

Educational Project

A nuanced view that Rousseau’s aim is radical freedom and critique, not blanket abolition of all institutions.

Anarchist Reading (moral/cultural)

A reference to Rousseau’s utopian social experiment in Geneva, illustrating self-governance on a small scale.

Geneva Dedication

Using the state of nature as a standard to judge whether current institutions live up to a moral ideal.

Normative Benchmark

Rousseau’s claim that the state of nature may not have existed, yet provides a useful, hypothetical basis for critique.

Hypothetical Status