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Rousseau: Reason, Desire, and Inequality

Dive into Rousseau’s groundbreaking critique of inequality and his vision for a just, democratic society. Explore his philosophical and literary works to understand the interplay of reason, human psychology, and civil society. Reflect on his relevance to contemporary debates about freedom, justice, and the persistence of inequality in the modern world.

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  • 21 and older
  • $335
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  • Online Classroom
  • 12 hours over 4 sessions

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  • $335/person
  • 12 hours over 4 sessions
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  • Thu, Apr 03 at 6:30pm - 9:30pm
  • Thu, Apr 10 at 6:30pm - 9:30pm
  • Thu, Apr 24 at 6:30pm - 9:30pm
  • Thu, May 01 at 6:30pm - 9:30pm
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Class Description

Description

What you'll learn in this lecture class:

“Man is born free, but is everywhere in chains.” So began Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s On the Social Contract, one of the first modern meditations on democracy, autonomy, and self-government, and the rampant inequality found in human society. Standing uneasily amongst his Enlightenment peers, Rousseau disagreed vociferously with his fellow philosophes that reason was a ready tool for human emancipation and justice. Rather, man has used it to become a “tyrant over himself and nature.” For Rousseau, individual reason and psychology are inextricably mixed: humans rationalize injustice in accordance with their desires; reason becomes ideology. What, then, is the solution? Is inequality an inevitable feature of human society? Are humans doomed to domination and oppression? Is inequality fatal to a healthy and functioning democracy? Can reason be harnessed to create an actually just and free society?

In this course, we will examine Rousseau’s philosophical and literary oeuvre in order to understand his account of reason, human psychology, and the origins of human society and inequality. We’ll also explore his attempts to recover and transform reason, at the level of both the individual and the political sphere. How, for Rousseau, is an unjust civil society to be turned into truly a democratic one? What might it mean to “force people to be free”? Is Rousseau’s vision an attractive one, or must it lead inevitably, as some critics claim, to tyranny? How can we understand Rousseau’s notions of inequality and democracy in the 21st century, when inequality has skyrocketed to levels unseen since the late 19th century? Readings will include Rousseau’s famous Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men, On the Social Contract, and the novel Emile, among other works. 

Remote Learning

This course is available for "remote" learning and will be available to anyone with access to an internet device with a microphone (this includes most models of computers, tablets). Classes will take place with a "Live" instructor at the date/times listed below.

Upon registration, the instructor will send along additional information about how to log-on and participate in the class.

Refund Policy

  • Upon request, we will refund less 5% cancellation fee of a course up until 6 business days before its start date.
  • Students who withdraw after that point but before the first class are entitled to 75% refund or full course credit.
  • After the first class: 50% refund or 75% course credit.
  • No refunds or credits will be given after the second class.

In any event where a customer wants to cancel their enrollment and is eligible for a full refund, a 5% processing fee will be deducted from the refund amount.

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