Rousseau on war. How to maintain the independence of a republic

Kód výsledku v IS VaVaI

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Výsledek na webu

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Jazyk výsledku

angličtina

Název v původním jazyce

Rousseau on war. How to maintain the independence of a republic

Popis výsledku v původním jazyce

In this paper I examine Rousseau’s view on war in the context of republican theory, focusing on Rousseau’s writings on Corsica (Projet de Constitution pour la Corse) and on Polish government (Considérations sur le Gouvernement de Pologne). Rousseau discusses the topic of war and peace throughout his work. Unlike Hobbes, he thinks that war does not exist in the state of nature: man is a self-sufficient being who does not experience the passions that give rise to enmity among men. These passions are the fruit of a developing society, when love of one-self (amour de soi) is transformed into self-love (amour-propre). Moreover, Rousseau characterizes war as a ‘relation between things’, not a relation between men. Thus, war exists only between states, and at its core is a dispute over property. Corsica and its armed struggle is a specific case of the fight for independence, which, according to Rousseau, fulfils the characteristics of ‘war’. Yet, how can the Corsicans and the Poles preserve their independence against a much stronger opponent (the Genoese Republic supported by France in the case of Corsica and Russia in the case of Poland)? Both nations are weak, still, according to Rousseau, they cannot rely on alliance treaties with other states that can ‘bind the weak to the strong, but never the strong to the weak’. What solution does Rousseau offer in order to maintain peace and independence? As we shall see, the economic self-sufficiency and good morals are crucial. Yet, are these sufficient against the great warring powers?

Název v anglickém jazyce

Rousseau on war. How to maintain the independence of a republic

Popis výsledku anglicky

In this paper I examine Rousseau’s view on war in the context of republican theory, focusing on Rousseau’s writings on Corsica (Projet de Constitution pour la Corse) and on Polish government (Considérations sur le Gouvernement de Pologne). Rousseau discusses the topic of war and peace throughout his work. Unlike Hobbes, he thinks that war does not exist in the state of nature: man is a self-sufficient being who does not experience the passions that give rise to enmity among men. These passions are the fruit of a developing society, when love of one-self (amour de soi) is transformed into self-love (amour-propre). Moreover, Rousseau characterizes war as a ‘relation between things’, not a relation between men. Thus, war exists only between states, and at its core is a dispute over property. Corsica and its armed struggle is a specific case of the fight for independence, which, according to Rousseau, fulfils the characteristics of ‘war’. Yet, how can the Corsicans and the Poles preserve their independence against a much stronger opponent (the Genoese Republic supported by France in the case of Corsica and Russia in the case of Poland)? Both nations are weak, still, according to Rousseau, they cannot rely on alliance treaties with other states that can ‘bind the weak to the strong, but never the strong to the weak’. What solution does Rousseau offer in order to maintain peace and independence? As we shall see, the economic self-sufficiency and good morals are crucial. Yet, are these sufficient against the great warring powers?

Druh

O - Ostatní výsledky

CEP obor

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OECD FORD obor

60301 - Philosophy, History and Philosophy of science and technology

Projekt

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Návaznosti

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Rok uplatnění

2024

Kód důvěrnosti údajů

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů