Table Of Contentoussea u an d
R
t he Problem of
uman
elations
R
j o h n m . wa r n e r
This content downloaded from 218.106.182.179 on Sun, 24 Jun 2018 11:00:48 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
rousseau and the problem of human relations
This content downloaded from 218.106.182.179 on Sun, 24 Jun 2018 11:00:48 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
1188880011--WWaarrnneerr__RRoouusssseeaauu..iinndddd ii 11//2255//1166 1111::0011 AAMM
This content downloaded from 218.106.182.179 on Sun, 24 Jun 2018 11:00:48 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
1188880011--WWaarrnneerr__RRoouusssseeaauu..iinndddd iiii 11//2255//1166 1111::0011 AAMM
ousseau and
R
the Problem of
uman
elations
R
john m. warner
Th e Pennsylvania State University Press | University Park, Pennsylvania
This content downloaded from 218.106.182.179 on Sun, 24 Jun 2018 11:00:48 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
1188880011--WWaarrnneerr__RRoouusssseeaauu..iinndddd iiiiii 11//2255//1166 1111::0011 AAMM
Chapter 4 is also being published as John Copyright © 2015
Warner, “Men, Citizens, and the Women Who The Pennsylvania State University
Love Them: Eros and Tragedy in Rousseau’s All rights reserved
Emile,” History of Political Thought 36, no. 3 Printed in the United States of America
(forthcoming). Published by
The Pennsylvania State University Press,
Chapter 6 was previously published as John University Park, PA 16802- 1003
Warner, “Bad Education: Pity, Moral Learning,
and the Limits of Rousseauan Friendship,” The Pennsylvania State University Press is
Review of Politics 76, no. 2 (2014): 243–66. a member of the Association of American
University Presses.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication
Data It is the policy of The Pennsylvania State
University Press to use acid- free paper.
Warner, John M. (John Martin), Publications on uncoated stock satisfy the
1978– , author. minimum requirements of American National
Rousseau and the problem of human Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence
relations / John M. Warner. of Paper for Printed Library Material, ansi
pages cm z39.48–1992.
Summary: “Investigates the psychological
foundations of human sociability as they are
treated in the work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Argues that Rousseau provides a pessimistic, or
tragic, teaching concerning the nature and scope
of human connectedness”—Provided by
publisher.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-271-07464-1
1. Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, 1712–1778.
2. Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, 1712–1778—Political
and social views.
3. Interpersonal relations.
I. Title.
B2137.W37 2015
194—dc23
2015029441
This content downloaded from 218.106.182.179 on Sun, 24 Jun 2018 11:00:48 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
Warner, Rousseau.indd 4 3/8/16 2:58 PM
To Byron and Cindy, my parents.
This content downloaded from 218.106.182.179 on Sun, 24 Jun 2018 11:00:48 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
1188880011--WWaarrnneerr__RRoouusssseeaauu..iinndddd vv 11//2255//1166 1111::0011 AAMM
contents
Acknowledgments ix
List of Abbreviations xii
Prologue 1
1 Rousseau’s Th eory of Human Relations 5
2 Social Longing and Moral Perfection 33
3 Pity and Human Weakness 60
4 Romantic Love in Emile 87
5 Romantic Love in Julie 110
6 Friendship, Virtue, and Moral Authority 136
7 Th e Ecology of Justice 162
8 Th e Sociology of Wholeness 187
Epilogue 216
Notes 229
Bibliography 232
Index 238
This content downloaded from 218.106.182.179 on Sun, 24 Jun 2018 11:05:51 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
1188880011--WWaarrnneerr__RRoouusssseeaauu..iinndddd vviiii 11//2255//1166 1111::0011 AAMM
acknowledgments
Th is project began in earnest in the summer of 1997 when I, a painfully
earnest undergraduate who had just discovered ideas, began reading Rous-
seau’s Discourse on Inequality at a coff ee shop after an especially trying shift
in the kitchen at a local restaurant. My wonderful undergraduate adviser,
Larry Hall, had made me aware of Rousseau’s work but, as an avowed and
unapologetic critic of his, had done nothing to encourage me to seek it out.
But teachers truck almost exclusively in unanticipated consequences, and
Dr. Hall’s passionate dislike for pauvre Jean- Jacques had only spurred my
curiosity. So, when my shift ended, I—in no mood either to go home to my
parents or to go out with my coworkers—decided to browse a few titles at a
bookshop. I fell upon the Discourse on Inequality and was compelled by the
back cover’s confi dent proclamation that it was “the most important and
incisive” of Rousseau’s works. Who was I to disagree with such impressive
alliteration? Th e Discourse it was. I was off to search for what Dr. Hall had
found so objectionable. I did not, however, succeed in fi nding it. In fact, I was
absolutely rapt by Rousseau’s reinterpretation of why people did what they
did, and read the whole work that night. It goes without saying that I was
utterly unable to follow the argument, and saw none of its genius—aside
from a few scraps about language and some good digs at Hobbes, I under-
stood nothing at all. But I did see that Rousseau had something new to tell
me about myself, that he was challenging my self- understanding in a serious
and radical way. I knew that I had to come to terms with that challenge and,
indeed, with the author who had put it to me. Th is book is the latest and, I
hope, best attempt to do that.
This content downloaded from 218.106.182.179 on Sun, 24 Jun 2018 11:05:58 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
1188880011--WWaarrnneerr__RRoouusssseeaauu..iinndddd iixx 11//2255//1166 1111::0011 AAMM
As Rousseau well knew, understanding oneself is a deeply and intrinsi-
cally social act, and in the course of writing this book I have been fortunate
to be surrounded by astoundingly kind, generous, and intelligent people. I
wish to single out my parents, Byron and Cindy, for their unwavering sup-
port. Th eir profound capacity for love continues to be an ongoing source of
astonishment for me, and to dedicate this book to them, as I gladly do, is a
most unsatisfactory token of my gratitude. I must also single out the eff orts
of John T. Scott, who was an exemplary adviser and remains an outstanding
scholar and good friend. I can only repay him as St. Preux repays Bomston,
his friend and better, which is to say that as I move forward I will always
miss my time in the department at UC Davis. My friends Wes Camden,
Andrea Rowntree, and Andrenna Taylor- Jones, and my siblings Joey and
Anne, all lent much- needed and much- appreciated emotional support dur-
ing this process and unwittingly provided me with fodder for the chapter on
friendship. I am also exceedingly grateful for Andrea Dixon’s love and sup-
port. Th ey all deserve my thanks, and so much more, for their patience,
humor, and unconditional love.
I also owe special thanks to a number of friends and colleagues who
provided me with invaluable assistance as this project was conceived and
developed. Th anks are due, fi rst, to my editor Kendra Boileau and the staff
at Penn State Press, and to Dennis Rasmussen and Joseph Reisert, who pro-
vided such generous and insightful manuscript reviews. I hope they will be
pleased, or at least satisfi ed, when they see the changes I have made. Th e Jack
Miller Center and the Henry Salvatori Center at Claremont- McKenna Col-
lege provided me with generous assistance and wonderful community along
the way, as did the political science department at UC Davis. A special note
of thanks is due to my graduate school colleagues, and most especially Gail
Pivetti, John Barry Ryan, Andrea Duwel, Michelle Schwarze, Chris Dawes,
and Jim Zink. Th eir friendship was a privilege, and our community is some-
thing that I will spend the rest of my life trying to re- create. Robert Taylor
and Christopher Kelly sat dutifully with John Scott on my dissertation com-
mittee and met dreadful chapter drafts with patience, insight, and generos-
ity; Alex Kaufman supervised my master’s thesis on Rousseau at the
University of Georgia and provided helpful direction and feedback in that
capacity. I also happily acknowledge my debt to my former teacher Larry
Peterman, who was a constant source of both consolation and amusement
and whom I will always remember fondly. I was especially lucky to be sur-
rounded by a host of supportive and deeply dedicated teachers at Belmont
x Acknowledgments
This content downloaded from 218.106.182.179 on Sun, 24 Jun 2018 11:05:58 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
1188880011--WWaarrnneerr__RRoouusssseeaauu..iinndddd xx 11//2255//1166 1111::0011 AAMM
University, where I did my undergraduate work: Ginger Osborn, Mike
Awalt, Ronnie Littlejohn, Mark Anderson, and the aforementioned Larry
Hall all bore my eagerness with great patience and foresight. Th ey also
encouraged my interest in Rousseau without actually sharing it themselves,
and were tireless and loving advocates for all their students while carrying
crushing teaching loads. Th is book is hardly repayment for their eff orts, but
I suppose it’s a start.
Finally, an earlier version of chapter 6 appeared in the Review of Politics,
and an earlier version of chapter 4 is forthcoming in the History of Political
Th ought. I thank the publishers for their permission to reprint this material.
Acknowledgments xi
This content downloaded from 218.106.182.179 on Sun, 24 Jun 2018 11:05:58 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
1188880011--WWaarrnneerr__RRoouusssseeaauu..iinndddd xxii 11//2255//1166 1111::0011 AAMM
