Rousseauian Mind

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) is a major figure in Western Philosophy and is one of the most widely read and studied political philosophers of all time. His writings range from abstract works such as On the Social Contract to literary masterpieces such as The Reveries of the Solitary Walker as well as immensely popular novels and operas.

The Rousseauian Mind provides a comprehensive survey of his work, not only placing it in its historical context but also exploring its contemporary significance. Comprising over forty chapters by a team of international contributors the Handbook covers:

• The predecessors and contemporaries to Rousseau's work



• The major texts of the 'system'



• Autobiographical texts including Confessions, Reveries of the Solitary Walker and Dialogues





• Rousseau's political science



• The successors to Rousseau's work



• Rousseau applied today.

Essential reading for students and researchers in philosophy, Rousseau's work is central to the study of political philosophy, the Enlightenment, French studies, the history of philosophy and political theory.

List of contents

List of Contributors. Abbreviations. Introduction, Christopher Kelly and Eve Grace. Part I. Predecessors and contemporaries. 1. Rousseau's Socratic 'Sentimentalism', Eve Grace. 2. Rousseau's Debt to Plutarch, Rebecca Kingston. 3. Rethinking the Source of Evil in Rousseau's Confessions, Anselm Lam. 4. Rousseau and Machiavelli, Vickie Sullivan. 5. 'Men as they are and laws as they can be': Legitimacy and the State of Nature in Rousseau and Hobbes, Susan Shell. 6. John Locke's Influence on Rousseau, Lee Ward . 7. Rousseau and Leibniz: Genealogy vs. Theodicy, Christophe Litwin. 8. Rousseau and Fénelon, Ryan Hanley. 9. Virtue and the Ancient City: Rousseau's Debt to Montesquieu, Andrea Radasanu. 10. Rousseau and Diderot: Materialism and its Discontents, Celine Spector. 11. Rousseau and Hume: The Philosophical Quarrel, Dennis Rasmussen. 12. Rousseau and Adam Smith on Sincerity and Authenticity, John McHugh. 13. How Would Rousseau Have Answered the Scots? Mark Hulliung. Part II. The Major Texts of the "System". 14. The Discourse on the Arts and Sciences , Jeff Black. 15. Discourse on the Origin Inequality, Christopher Kelly. 16. Emile; or On Education, John Scott. 17. On the Social Contract, Matthew Simpson. Part III. Autobiographical Texts. 18. Rousseau's Confessions: A Pattern for Living, Laura Field. 19. Reflecting on the Outlaw: Rousseau Judge of Jean-Jacques in Light of the Greek Tragedians, Jean-François Perrin (translated by Eve Grace and Christopher Kelly). 20. To Walk, To Dream, To Philosophize, Pierre Manent (translated by Christopher Kelly and Eve Grace. Part IV. Nature, Reason, and Society. 21. Rousseau's Responses to Human Progress, Timothy O'Hagan. 22. Rousseau and Sciences, Christophe Van Staen. 23. From Nature to Society, Daniel Cullen. 24. Moral Motivation and Rhetoric, Denise Schaeffer. 25. Contradictions: Thought at Risk, Claude Habib. 26. On the Naturalness of Friendship and Family, John Warner. 27. Rousseau on Music: A Case of Nature vs. Nature and convention in music, Jacqueline Waeber. 28. Inequality, Robin Douglass. 29. Cosmopolitanism versus Patriotism, Matthew Mendham. Part V. Squaring the Circle: Rousseau's Political Science. 30. Rousseau's Political Science, Joseph Reisert. 31. Rousseau's Political Economy, Geneviève Rousselière. 32. Rousseau's Legislative Reveries, Pamela Jensen. 33. Rousseau's Place in the Civil Religion Tradition, Ronald Beiner. 34. The Political Possibilities of the Faith of the Savoyard Vicar, Kimberley Burns. 35. Who Needs Civil Religion? Mira Morgenstern. Part VI. In conversation with successors. 36. Rousseau and Kant: Imitation, Genius, and Scandal, Jeremiah Alberg. 37. Self-Unity, Culture and Aesthetic Education: Prolegomena to Schiller's Rousseauian Mind, Richard Velkley. 38. The Economics of Philosophical Anthropology: Hegel versus Rousseau, Paul Cantor. 39. Rousseau and Tocqueville, Matthew Maguire. 40. Rousseau, Derrida and Imitative Novelty, Wang Wei. VII. Rousseau applied today. 41. Rousseau and Feminism, Eileen Hunt Botting. 42. Rousseau and Public Intellectuals, Jonathan Marks. 43. Rousseau and Environmentalism, Zev Trachtenberg. 44. External Relations, International relations: Rousseau on War and the Law of War, Blaise Bachofen. Conclusion. Index.

About the author

Eve Grace teaches political philosophy at Colorado College, USA. She is co-editor (with Christopher Kelly) of The Challenge of Rousseau (2013) and of Rousseau on Women, Love, and Family (2009). Her most recent piece is 'Beyond the realms of dream that fleeting shade' in Love: The History of a Concept ( forthcoming).

Christopher Kelly is Professor of Political Science at Boston College, USA. He is the author of Rousseau’s Exemplary Life (1987) and Rousseau as Author (2003). He is co-editor of The Collected Writings of Rousseau (with Roger D. Masters) and The Challenge of Rousseau (with Eve Grace, 2013).

Summary

Rousseau is a major figure in Western Philosophy and is one of the most widely read political philosophers of all time. The Rousseauian Mind provides a comprehensive survey of his work, not only placing it in its historical context but also exploring its contemporary significance. Essential reading for students and researchers

Report

"At last a collection of essays as wide-ranging as the mind of Rousseau. In forty-four chapters, it covers his predecessors, contemporaries, and successors; his theoretical, autobiographical and even musical writings. A most useful companion for the scholar and student alike."
Arthur Melzer, Michigan State University, USA
"Students and other informed readers will find here clear, carefully-argued articles presenting Rousseau's texts and offering an overview of the writer's relations with predecessors and contemporaries. Modern interpretations are fully and judiciously presented. The book is fresh, up to date and comprehensive."
Michael O' Dea, University of Lyon, France

Product details

• Authors: Eve Kelly Grace
• Assisted by: Eve Grace (Editor), Grace Eve (Editor), Christopher Kelly (Editor)
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.03.2021
• EAN: 9780367783921
• ISBN: 978-0-367-78392-1
• No. of pages: 516
• Series: Routledge Philosophical Minds
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Philosophy: general, reference works; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; PHILOSOPHY / General, Social & political philosophy, Political science & theory, social and political philosophy, Political science and theory