Rousseau's Idealism

Rousseau captivates the reader with the first line, "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." Unfortunately, he never adequately answers the question of why (at least not to my liking). I suppose this is in part due to the fact that he himself does not know the reasons for this contradiction.

Rousseau states that the oldest form of society is the family, with the father as ruler and children as his subjects. The children, like the people of the state, will relinquish their freedoms as long as it is to their benefit. Much of The Origin of Civil Society is written as a response to Hugo Grotius and Thomas Hobbes. Rousseau believes that these two men are not thinking outside the box. In other words, they see the world as it is and do not look to improve it. This reminds me of Robert Kennedy quoting a George Bernard Shaw play, "You see things as they are and ask, why? I dream things as they never were and ask, why not?" Rousseau argues against slavery and against the use of force to acquire power. He believes that no man "has natural authority over his fellows" and that "to admit that Might makes Right is to reverse the process of effect and cause." Both of these stances were extremely radical for the 18th century, even during the Enlightenment.

While reading Rousseau, I find myself wondering how realistic he is. Sure it would be great if what he says is true, but I have major doubts about this. For instance, let's examine Rousseau's opening statement again: "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." I agree with Rousseau that man is born relatively free yet he is surprisingly restricted. I would argue that this is not always because of some tyrannical dictator but more or less can be attributed to human nature. We highly value our so-called human rights but we are also willing to give them up because it is easy and convenient to do so.

I myself am not a country music fan but Kris Kristofferson has a song entitled "The Burden of Freedom". I do not know what the intended meaning of the song is but when I hear the title it reminds me that too much freedom isn't necessarily a good thing. Too much choice hurts us and makes us more willing to give up certain freedoms for passivity.

What is astounding about Rousseau's work is that despite his idealism, he was able to be as influential as the at times pragmatic Machiavelli, if not more so. The framers of our Constitution considered many of Rousseau's ideas, especially his thoughts on the social contract. If people join together and abandon claims of natural right, they will be free and the person with the most might will not be ruler. Following the general will of the people protects individuals from subordination to the interests of an empowered minority.