ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores Rousseau’s conception of subjectivity and traces the influence of that conception on his theory of freedom. It argues that Rousseau’s conception of subjectivity provides with a basis for understanding both his analysis of the “social problem” of advanced civil societies, and the solutions he proposes to this problem. The book attempts to provide the often implicit assumptions informing Rousseau’s conception of the subject, from his philosophical anthropology and his philosophy of language. It shows that Rousseau maintained a consistent theory of the subject that can be understood to provide the groundwork for his moral theory. The book examines the work involves a discussion of Rousseau’s conception of freedom. It suggests that Rousseau, freedom and virtue are synonymous: that it is impossible in the context of his moral theory to conceive of one without the other.
