ABSTRACT
This chapter presents Rousseau's and Adam Smith's contributions to the debate about the relation of politics and religion. Both of their positions are controversial. The chapter reviews Rousseau's civil religion as it is set out toward the very end of the Social Contract, with recent relevant philosophical work as a primary frame of reference. It also reviews why he thinks this "profession" is necessary, and therefore considers part of the anthropology and moral psychology that Rousseau is assuming when he speaks "men as they are". Both reviews touch on what Rousseau calls "sentiments of sociability". The chapter explores whether Rousseau can reconcile "the laws as they can be" with "men as they are". Rousseau states that political or civil freedom is inseparable from positive liberty. The chapter focuses on Smith's very different proposals with regard to the political problem of religion.
