The Concept Of Human Nature And Two Conditions For The Realization Of The Moral Liberty In Rousseau’s Social Contract

Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s definition of Human nature is quite distinctive Rousseau believes that man’s natural emotion in the natural state is the source and basis of morality,and he criticizes civilization for making man lose his natural emotion.But he still reposes the ideal of moral liberty in the social contract.The liberty and equality of individual is the starting point of Rousseau’s thought,but the end point is community.Only in the community,people can achieve true liberty.This paper attempts to answer two questions,the first is why Rousseau’s thought ends with the social contract and the moral liberty,and the second is why the moral liberty is possible.Based on the reading and analysis of Rousseau’s works,this paper focuses on Rousseau’s definition of the concept of Human nature.In this way,we can understand the two conditions of Rousseau’s moral liberty in the social contract.The ultimate goal of Rousseau’s social contract was to achieve liberty.Rousseau believed that the moral liberty was the most fundamental liberty.The reason why the moral liberty surpasses the natural liberty in the natural state is that it has two conditions that make people manifest the essence of human.The first is the reservation of natural emotion and the second is the faculty of improvement.In Rousseau’s view,it is only in the social contract,where everyone is subservient to the legislator,does not have to be busy calculating others and self interest,and one’s natural emotions are not corrupted.At the same time,socialized full contact provides.great room for improvement in human faculty.These two conditions exist at the same time,so that people can fully realize human nature.When a man obeys only himself,he achieves fundamental moral liberty.In addition,the realization of moral liberty must depend on human nature Rousseau devised two approaches to the moral liberty.The first is to guide citizens with the help of legislators,and the second is to establish a civic religion The guidance of the legislator implies the plasticity of the citizen,which is based on the faculty of mprovement of human beings.The citizen’s belief and love for religion are based on the natural emotion of human beings.In short,the answer to why Rousseau’s thought ends in social contract and moral liberty,and why the moral liberty is possible,can be found in Rousseau’s definition of human nature.