19. Democracy and Participation: Rousseau's Discourse

Introduction to Political Philosophy (PLSC 114)
The discussion on the origins of inequality in the Second Discourse continues. This lecture focuses on amour-propre, a faculty or a disposition that is related to a range of psychological characteristics such as pride, vanity, and conceit. The Social Contract is subsequently discussed with an emphasis on the concept of freedom and how one's desire to preserve one's freedom is often in conflict with that of others to protect and defend their own. General will becomes Rousseau's solution to the problem of securing individual liberty.
00:00 - Chapter 1. "Amour-Propre": The Most Durable Cause of Inequality
20:15 - Chapter 2. Civilization and Its DIscontents
32:06 - Chapter 3. The Social Contract
Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: open.yale.edu/courses
This course was recorded in Fall 2006.