Reference no: EM133422927
Assignment:
Was Rousseau a Liberal? Use the political Philosophy of Rousseau's to evaluate modern political liberalism, as defined by the following five assumptions. After addressing each assumption from his perspective, be sure to include by indicating whether Rousseau should have to be viewed as a friend or foe by a modern political liberals. The assumptions of modern liberal political thought are:
1. Realism: The world can be comprehensive through the use of reason, as opposed to revelation, intuition, or authority
2. Meliorism; History either moves or can be moved in theological (progressive) fashion-new can be better than old and neutral is not necessarily good. Improvement is always possible, Reject the mist of the past " golden age" of wisdom
3. Individual authority; People has autonomous will and are capable of rational choice to fulfil their preferences. This implies that society should be structured on the basis of mutual respect for some fundamental list of right, to include being treated as a rational, autonomous, and equal individual.
4. Egalitarianism, People have equal worth and more or less equal basic abilities, so they should be treated equally. This implies that any hierarchy we observe is likely to be the result of policy or choice, not natural inequality
5. Pluralism; Society is best served by having multiple, competing point of view (the marketplace of ideas) and multiple way so living.