A Critical Exposition of the Doctrine of Natural Goodness of Humans as the Foundation of Rousseau' Politics
The idea that humans are naturally good is an underlying conviction and a compass directing Rousseaus philosophical rumination. Specifically, his position is that men are not naturally egoistic as Hobbes would have us believe but have an inherent quality which disposes them to seek the well-being of others. For him, everything was good as it left the hand of the creator; everything degenerated in the hands of humans. There seems to be an obvious contradiction, how is it that everything which ...