Rousseau's Philosophy: Man, Society, and the Mind's Ideas

Rousseau's Philosophy: Natural vs. Historical Man

The Noble Savage and Original Innocence

Jean-Jacques Rousseau posited a radical opposition to Thomas Hobbes' view, asserting that "Man is born good and happy." He believed that primitive man was driven by two basic impulses: self-love (amor de soi) and compassion. In this natural state, man is a generous being, innocent as a child, akin to a "noble savage."

The Degeneration of Historical Man

However, Rousseau argued that man has become something quite opposite to his original state. His contemporary, the "historical man," has lost his original innocence. His sincerity has degenerated into hypocrisy. Historical man is depicted as a vile, selfish, depraved being, full of hate.

This historical man cannot publicly display his true degeneration; he will be even more vile, hiding his selfishness and passions. Therefore, he adopts an illustrated demeanor, including courtesy, the art of speaking, the technique of appearance, and carefully chosen words – everything that science and the arts cultivate. Fears, hatred, and treachery are continuously hidden beneath this mask we call "education." This mask is doubly hateful because it avoids recognizing degradation and, in doing so, prevents the regeneration of man.

The Origin and Classification of Ideas

Challenging Innatism: Locke and Berkeley

The origin of our ideas is a fundamental philosophical question. Rousseau, following the empiricist tradition, argued against innatism, a theory maintained by John Locke. He asserted that our perceptions – sensations, thoughts, and emotions – are not mere representations of the world. Instead, following George Berkeley, he classified perceptions based on their degree of vivacity into two types: impressions and ideas.

Impressions and Ideas: A Distinction

Impressions are immediate sensations of experience: vivid images, passions, and emotions. Ideas, in contrast, are copies or diffuse images of impressions. They are products of imagination and memory, which manage to imitate the original intensity of impressions, though never fully replicating it. For example, it is one thing to feel an intense cold (an impression) and quite another to remember that cold felt on a past day (an idea).

Classifying Perceptions: Provenance and Composition

Beyond the distinction between impressions and ideas, our perceptions can be further classified according to other criteria:

• By Provenance:

  • Perceptions of Sensation: Those that originate from external senses.
  • Perceptions of Reflection: Exclusively mental states, such as the boredom we feel while waiting for a bus.

• By Composition:

  • Simple Perceptions: Cannot be divided into smaller parts. For example, the sweet scent of a perfume.
  • Complex Perceptions: Can be distinguished and divided into more simple perceptions. For example, the perception of a red rose decomposes into simpler perceptions like its odor and color.

Association of Ideas

Simple ideas originate from all their corresponding simple impressions. Complex ideas are the result of the combination and fanciful imagination with simple impressions.