POL320Y1 Lecture Notes - Political Philosophy, Categorical Imperative, Civil Religion
Document Summary
He stands with the enlightenment and against it. In the discourse of inequality, reason is part of the problem; the application of reason leads us astray. In the social contract reason seems to be a better picture, the application of reason to our political world gives us some answers. He was a figure in the margining public sphere, he did public sphere philosophy. In his political writings, his view of the public sphere is not vey enlightened. In the social contract he does not think that by debating amongst individuals will lead to anything good. The public sphere does not play very well (as a place for discussion) Modernity brings with it all sort of bad things; he thinks that the modern world brings with it . He does not say that the world is better; he sees a lot of downsides to modernity. On the social contract begins with freedom, we are free but with chains.
