I was reading Rousseau the other day and I came accross this quote, I want to post it on here for the purpose of hearing what you all think about it, then later I will post my thoughts when they are in order...
"Today, when subtler inquiries and a more refined taste have reduced the Art of pleasing to principles, a vile and deceiving uniformity prevails in our morals, and all minds seem to have been cast in the same mold: constantly politeness demands, propriety commands: constantly one follows custom, never one's own genius. One no longer dares to appear what one is; and under this perpetual constraint, the men who make up the herd that is called society will, when placed in similar circumstances, all act in similar ways unless more powerful motives incline them differently. One will thus never really know with whom one is dealing: in order to know one's friend one will therefore have to wait for great occasions, that is, to wait until it is too late, since it is for these very occasions that it would have been essential to know him."
-Rousseau
Your thoughts?
3 comments:
Like other Enlightenment figures, Rousseau thought that a simple agrarian existence was the ideal. He thought societies and cultures robbed us of our innate morality.
I think what he says here is that there is no real moral relationship without individuality.
Which begs the question, Why did he wear a whig? To show his individuality? Or, to conform to societal standards?
Maybe he was bald and fashionable.
I don't get it. I tried to break it down but still... I need a modern day summary!
love, Casey
Rob says to be a good friend, you have to be willing to be weird. You have to come out and say what no one else can afford to say. Rob's my counselor.
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