Saturday, July 30, 2011

THROUGH THE EYES OF ROUSSEAU

Rousseau brings into play in his second Discourse, his great principle for "judging properly," the principle of freedom. Evil is essentially artificial,a product of society. As a result, there is no reason to suffer evil at all.

Instead, one can strengthen one's will, in order to resist the injustices of civilisation, the unfairness, the economic and social inequalities and discrimination against whole segments of the population. And in this way attain a measure of virtue and fairness. We can also exercise our free will justly and righteously in concert with others, in order to change the laws and the unjust conventions that lead a people to accept living under conditions of grotesque inequality and lack of basic human freedoms.

The ending is up to the people, their historical destiny is, to an uncertain but critical extent, in their hands. Such is the significance of being free. By rising up against a regime that would instill only " the blindest obedience."

Rousseau reminds us, a people acts only according to the natural order, by reasserting its essential freedom, and whatever the outcome of these revolutions, a new beginning, or a relapse into bad habits, as we are witnessing with different aspects nowadays in some countries. No one can complain about someone else's injustice, but only of his own imprudence or his misfortune.

A new way of thinking about the human condition is appearing in the Arab world, despite the gloomy description of mankind's decline and fall. The principle of freedom dawned on the Arab world, and gave infinite strength to man, who thus perceived himself as great and limitless.

Inspired from a text by J. Miller about J.J. Rousseau. thanks for your patience and salamat.