Laurence Cooper

Rousseau, Nature, and the Problem of the

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ISBN 13:: 9780271029887
author:: Laurence Cooper
format:: Paperback
publisher:: Pennsylvania STATE University Press
language:: English
Publication Year:: 1999
Pages:: 240
Genre:: Popular Philosophy
Condition:: New
Availability:: Item usually sent within 10 working days

£30.49

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Description

Description

Rousseau's attempt to reconcile Western philosophy with the rise of modern science is the subject of this thought-provoking study. Cooper examines how Rousseau sought to establish nature as a standard for human behavior, despite the challenge posed by scientific inquiry. For Rousseau, the natural state of humanity holds an original goodness, but he believed that this was insufficient as a basis for moral and political philosophy. Instead, he posited the idea of "the natural man living in the state of society," which Cooper explores in detail. A key concept in Rousseau's thought is conscience, understood as the "love of order," which serves to elevate simple savage sentiment into a more refined "civilized naturalness" that all people can aspire to. This book provides a nuanced analysis of Rousseau's philosophy and its relevance to contemporary debates about ethics and morality.

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