ABSTRACT

This book, first published in 1991, has two related goals. The first is to explicate Rousseau’s conception of subjectivity; the second is to trace the influence of that conception on his theory of freedom. It argues that Rousseau’s conception of subjectivity provides us with a basis for understanding both his analysis of the ‘social problem’ of advanced civil societies, and the solutions he proposes to this problem.

chapter |6 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|33 pages

Speaking Apes

chapter 2|18 pages

The Problem of Language Origin

chapter 3|26 pages

Original Nature

chapter 4|43 pages

Rousseau’s Arcadian Ideal

chapter 5|45 pages

The Metaphysics of Freedom

chapter 6|30 pages

An Education According to Nature

chapter 7|35 pages

A Moral Education