ABSTRACT
Humanitarianism is indeed an obligation toward all other human beings on the grounds of their humanity. If humans can identify with others, therefore, humanitarianism is natural precisely because it rests on a prerational feeling-albeit one easily overcome by theological dogma or rational instruction. Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Second Discourse forces the thoughtful reader to reflect on the evolutionary origins of rights and duties. While ingenious, Rousseau's psychology is neither fully consistent with the evidence he himself presents nor substantiated by more recent scientific research. By extending the scope of pity to the entire species, Rousseau claimed that self-love could be transformed into the feeling of "humanity." The distinction between ethics and politics would seem to parallel the difference between the private and the public. In considering the adequacy of Rousseau's political teaching, one can go beyond the intuitive recognition that-as he taught-"humanitarianism" is generally impotent in the face of power and self-interest.
