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The Ambiguities of Rousseau's Conception of Happiness

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The Ambiguities of Rousseau’s Conception of Happiness Author: Alexandre Provencher-Gravel Persistent link: http://hdl.handle.net/2345/1355 This work is posted on eScholarship@BC, Boston College University Libraries. Boston College Electronic Thesis or Dissertation, 2008 Copyright is held by the author, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise noted. Boston College The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Department of Political Science THE AMBIGUITIES OF ROUSSEAU’S CONCEPTION OF HAPPINESS a dissertation by Alexandre Provencher-Gravel submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2008 © copyright by ALEXANDRE PROVENCHER-GRAVEL 2008 Dissertation abstract The Ambiguities of Rousseau’s Conception of Happiness by Alexandre Provencher-Gravel Supervised by Christopher Kelly This dissertation is a discussion of the many ambiguities surrounding Rousseau’s conception of happiness. In the first chapter, I expose Rousseau’s various conceptions of happiness in Émile. His main conception is offered at the beginning of Book II. Rousseau defines happiness as the equilibrium between desires and faculties. I show how this definition fits with his conception of human nature as it is developed in the Second Discours. Then I turn to a brief exposition of the alternative ideas of happiness that are exposed in the remaining of Émile. I also discuss various recent interpretations of Rousseau’s understanding of happiness. I turn to Rousseau’s autobiographical writings for the remaining chapters. The second chapter discusses Rousseau’s self-understanding of what made him miserable during his life. I focus on two episodes of his life: his break with the Parisian life and his crisis during the publication of Émile. I show how Rousseau often blames the circumstances or others for his unhappiness rather than his opinions or his heart. The last two chapters attempt to define what the happiness was that Rousseau experienced. The third chapter tries to understand what sort of solitude makes Rousseau happy, and if indeed he is happy in this situation. I explore why society is unsatisfying for him and whether his desire to be alone is coherent. The final chapter discusses the nature of Rousseau’s blissful rêveries. I show how melancholia appears to be at the center of his ecstasies in the second letter to Malesherbes. In the Fifth Walk of the Rêveries, however, Rousseau seems to settle for a quasi-lethargic experience. The minimal sentiment of his own existence he defines as happiness is compared to other blissful experiences described in the book. Finally, I discuss whether Rousseau needed to know the truth or to philosophize in order to be happy. In particular, I discuss his claim in the Third Walk to be in need of the doctrine of the Profession de foi du Vicaire savoyard to be happy. Rousseau’s sincerity is ambiguous. Its analysis unveils a few problems about his claims to be selfless and to have dedicated his life to the truth. Le sort de ce mortel heureux etmalheureux à la fois, eut été ce me semble un étrangeproblême. Rousseau, Émile Le tems qu’on employe à savoir ce que d’autres ont pensé étant perdu pour apprendre à penser soi- même, on a plus de lumières acquises et moins de vigueur d’esprit. Rousseau, Émile Table of Contents Acknowledgments iv Abbreviations of text cited v Introduction 1 Chapter One : Happiness as Equilibrium 16 1 – The Theory of Equilibrium 1.1 – A Summary of the Theory 1.2 – Equilibrium and System 2 – Is Equilibrium a Sufficient Condition of Happiness? 2.1 – Equilibrium as a Sufficient Condition of Happiness 2.2 – Equilibrium as an Unsufficient Condition of Happiness 3 – Is Equilibrium the Necessary Condition of Happiness? 3.1 – Equilibrium or Effervescence? 3.2 – Two Alternatives to Equilibrium 3.2.1 – Happiness as Excess of Force 3.2.2 – Happiness as Excess of Desire 4 – Conclusion Chapter Two : Unhappiness and Opinion 82 1 – Two Unhappy Episodes of Rousseau’s Life 1.1 – Becoming Independent of Opinion: Rousseau’s Reform in the Confessions 1.1.1 – One of the Few Privileged Souls? 1.1.2 – The Motivations of the Reform 1.1.3 – Other Accounts of Rousseau’s Reform 1.1.4 – Rousseau’s Responsibility in Failing to Become Independent 1.1.5 – Alternative Explanations 1.1.6 – Conclusion: Does Rousseau Think He Is Sensitive to Opinion? 2 – The 1761 Crisis 2.1 – The 1761 Crisis in the Letter to Moultou 2.2 – The 1761 Crisis in the Confessions 2.3 – The 1761 Crisis in the Four Letters to Malesherbes 2.3.1 – Unruly Imagination 2.3.2 – Love of Glory 3 – Conclusion: What Is the Source of Rousseau’s Misery? ii Chapter Three : Happiness and Solitude 140 1 – Solitude in the Letters to Malesherbes 1.1 – Rousseau’s Natural Love of Solitude 1.2 – Rousseau’s Vindication of Solitude 1.2.1 – The Only and Most Independent State? 1.2.2 – The Nature of Rousseau’s Laziness 1.2.3 – Does the Love of Chimerical Beings Make Rousseau Independent and Happy? 1.3 – Conclusion: Critical Reflections on the Goodness of Solitude in Rousseau’s System and in his Life 2 – Solitude in the Rêveries du Promeneur Solitaire 2.1 – What Does Rousseau Mean by “Me voici donc seul sur la terre”? 2.2 – What Are We to Make of Rousseau’s Belief in a Plot? 2.3 – Bending to Necessity 2.3.1 – The Return of the Theory of Equilibrium 2.3.1.1 – Discussion: Why Would Rousseau Resist to a Return to the Theory of Equilibrium? 2.3.2 – Bending to Necessity in the First Walk 2.3.3 – Bending to Necessity in the Second Walk 2.3.4 – Bending to Necessity in the Eighth Walk 2.3.4.1 – Materialism and the Disappearance of Intention 2.3.4.2 – Bending to the Senses 2.3.4.3 – Discussion: What Is the Status of Rousseau’s Claim to Have Learned How to Bend to Necessity? 2.3.5 – Conclusion 2.4 – Doing Good to Others 2.4.1 – Why Does Doing Good Make Rousseau Happy? 2.4.2 – Why is Rousseau Unable to Do Good to Others (and therefore to Be Happy)? 2.4.2.1 – The Natural Obstacle 2.4.2.2 – The Vindication of the Natural Obstacle 2.4.2.3 – The Accidental Obstacle 2.4.3 – Is Rousseau’s Selfishness Legitimate? 2.4.4 – Conclusion: Can a Spontaneous Heart Bend to Necessity? Chapter Four : Happiness and Rêveries 283 1 – Nostalgia, Ecstasy and Melancholia: The Third Letter to Malesherbes 1.1 – Independence and Goodwill 1.2 – The Rêveries 1.2.1 – The Definite Rêverie or Nostalgia 1.2.2 – The Indefinite Rêverie or Confusion 1.2.3 – Melancholia as the Core of Rousseau’s Happiness 1.2.4 – The Nostalgia of Happiness 2 – The Bare Sentiment of One’s Own Existence: The Fifth Walk 2.1 – A Simple and Permanent State iii 2.2 – What Is Happiness for Rousseau? 2.3 – Conclusion: Equilibrium or Disequilibrium? 3 – Happiness and Truth 3.1 – Truth, Sincerity and Utility 3.1.1 – The Philosophers’ Amour-propre 3.1.2 – Rousseau’s Sincerity 3.2 – Is Rousseau’s Philosophy for Others? 3.3 – Or Is it for Himself...? 3.3.1 – The Absence of a Direct Defense of the Noble Lie in the Fourth Walk 3.3.2 – Rousseau’s Capacity for Disinterestedness 3.3.3 – Love of Oneself and Love of the Truth 3.3.4 – Happiness and Illusions 3.4 – Conclusion Conclusion 400 Bibliography 415 Acknowledgements I would like to thank Susan Shell and Laurence Cooper for having accepted to read this dissertation and for their useful comments. A special thanks to Christopher Kelly, who supervised this dissertation, and with whom I have had many stimulating discussions about Rousseau. His mastery of Rousseau’s corpus, as well as his intellectual rigor, will remain a model for me. Ma dette envers Rosemarie est inestimable. Je la remercie pour sa patience, son dévouement et son amour. Je remercie finalement mes parents, Roger et Diane, pour leur soutien durant l’écriture de cette thèse, mais aussi pour tout le temps durant lequel je fus un étudiant. Cette thèse leur est dédiée. Abbreviations of texts cited E = Émile C = Les Confessions D = Rousseau juge de Jean-Jacques (Dialogues) R = Les Rêveries du Promeneur Solitaire Beaumont = Lettre à Christophe de Beaumont PD = Discours sur les sciences et les arts (Premier Discours) SD = Discours sur l’origine et les fondements de l’inégalité parmi les hommes (Second Discours) LAD = Lettre à d’Alembert sur les spectacles LAM = Quatre lettres à M. le Président de Malesherbes LM = Lettres morales J = Julie ou la Nouvelle-Héloïse Introduction Writing a dissertation on Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s conception of happiness can only be a mistake. True happiness cannot be described: “Le vrai bonheur ne se décrit pas, il se sent” (C, OC I, p. 236). It cannot be described because it is a sentiment that has no object but itself: “Si [le bonheur] consistoit en faits, en actions, en paroles, je pourrois le décrire et le rendre, en quelque façon: mais comment dire ce qui n’étoit ni dit, ni fait ni pensé même, mais goûté, mais senti, sans que je puisse énoncer d’autre objet de mon bonheur que ce sentiment même” (C, OC I, p. 225). Happiness is the sentiment of happiness. What more is there to say? Yet in the same passage of the Confessions from which the quotations above are drawn, Rousseau goes on at length to depict the happiness he experienced during his time at the Charmettes. Obviously, Rousseau did not think he could not say anything about happiness.
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