R ousseau and the Problem of uman Relations john m. warner rousseau and the problem of human relations 118801-Warner_Rousseau.indd8801-Warner_Rousseau.indd i 11/25/16/25/16 111:011:01 AAMM 118801-Warner_Rousseau.indd8801-Warner_Rousseau.indd iiii 11/25/16/25/16 111:011:01 AAMM R ousseau and the Problem of uman Relations john m. warner Th e Pennsylvania State University Press | University Park, Pennsylvania 118801-Warner_Rousseau.indd8801-Warner_Rousseau.indd iiiiii 11/25/16/25/16 111:011:01 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 ennsylvaniaP 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 Warner, Rousseau.indd 4 3/8/16 2:58 PM To Byron and Cindy, my parents. 118801-Warner_Rousseau.indd8801-Warner_Rousseau.indd v 11/25/16/25/16 111:011:01 AAMM 118801-Warner_Rousseau.indd8801-Warner_Rousseau.indd vivi 11/25/16/25/16 111:011:01 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 118801-Warner_Rousseau.indd8801-Warner_Rousseau.indd viivii 11/25/16/25/16 111:011:01 AAMM 118801-Warner_Rousseau.indd8801-Warner_Rousseau.indd viiiviii 11/25/16/25/16 111:011:01 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. 118801-Warner_Rousseau.indd8801-Warner_Rousseau.indd ixix 11/25/16/25/16 111:011:01 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 118801-Warner_Rousseau.indd8801-Warner_Rousseau.indd x 11/25/16/25/16 111:011:01 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 118801-Warner_Rousseau.indd8801-Warner_Rousseau.indd xixi 11/25/16/25/16 111:011:01 AAMM abbreviations C Th e Confessions CGP Considerations on the Government of Poland DI Discourse on Inequality DPE Discourse on Political Economy DSA Discourse on the Sciences and Arts E Emile ES Emile and Sophie GM Geneva Manuscript J La Nouvelle Heloise; or, Julie LD Th e Letter to D’Alembert on the Th eater ML Moral Letters RSW Th e Reveries of the Solitary Walker SC Th e Social Contract 118801-Warner_Rousseau.indd8801-Warner_Rousseau.indd xiixii 11/25/16/25/16 111:011:01 AAMM Prologue Th is is a study of human relations as they are treated in the work of Jean- Jacques Rousseau. It is animated by two very basic, but very important, questions: (1) what do we want out of our relationships? and (2) can we get what we are after? I think that if we can fi nd good answers to these questions, we will have made some progress in understanding both ourselves and the social and political worlds we inhabit.