Rousseau: Social Transformation and the Ideological Origins of the LEFT (Rousseau, Pt. 1)

New part of our lecture series Foundations of Western Political Thought -- this time on Jean-Jacques Rousseau, French Enlightenment philosopher and political theorist. Rousseau is famous for his work On The Social Contract, but also for his Discourse on the Arts and Sciences, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Emile or On Education, Julie, and his Confessions. In stark contrast to Hobbes, Rousseau believed that human nature is essentially good; it is society that corrupts man. But rather than return to the woods and reject civilization and society altogether, Rousseau championed social transformation, with education and a civil government of the General Will as the means to that end.

Timecodes:
0:00 – Intro: Intellectual Godfather to the Left
6:23 – The Age of Enlightenment
9:49 – The Romanticism of Rousseau
11:10 – The Essential Goodness of Human Nature
16:58 – Social Transformation and the General Will
19:56 – Life of Jean-Jacques Rousseau
25:00 – Emile, or On Education
30:16 – Later life of Rousseau
32:44 – Closing thoughts
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Dr. Jonathan Barth received his PhD in history from George Mason University in 2014. He specializes in the history of money and banking in the early modern period, with corollary interests in early modern politics, empire, culture, and ideas. Barth is Associate Professor of History at Arizona State University and Associate Director of the Center for American Institutions at Arizona State University.
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Visit my website https://www.professorbarth.com/
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on this channel are my own and do not reflect the views of Arizona State University, nor are any of the views endorsed by Arizona State University.